Pokemon Infinities: Giratina and the Sky Warrior
by TheHero136
Summary: What if Shaymin had been the direct reason for Giratina's problems? What if he found himself on the run from a monster as well as a madman? Now, he must find a way to keep himself, and his friends Ash, Dawn, and Brock, from getting killed. Enemies are at every corner and he must fight to survive! Or die trying! Rated T for violence and mild language.
1. Chapter 1 Beginning of an Incident

**A note from the author.**

 **Hello everybody. I am writing a new story because I want to stay interested in Pokemon. I have been searching for idea's and I think I finally hit the nail. I'm writing an alternate story about Movie 11, Giratina and the Sky Warrior, or the Sky's Bouquet: Shaymin, if you prefer the Japanese title. Now, why? Well, heres how it happened. One day I was on the web when I found something called Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope. I bought the story and I was extremely impressed. They made an alternate history that was just as gripping as the original story if not better. And that got me thinking, "What if I made an alternate story for a Pokemon movie?" I needed ideas when I decided to watch the movies again. That's when I realized that there were fundamental issues with the 11th film. The main Pokemon was annoying, the ending was unoriginal, and I personally felt there was a problem with the overall plot. Ever since I played Pokemon Platinum and watched the movie, I fell in love with Shaymin Sky Forme. It became and still is my favorite Pokemon. But the movie, didn't do its job and now most people try to pretend the movie didn't exist. I wanted to write this story as a tribute to my favorite legendary and to fix the problems made in the movie. Note, this is an alternate story so some things will be different, most things actually. I would say how its different, but that would just spoil the story. I want to give this story a shot and I think it will be awesome. Now sit back, get some snacks, and enjoy the story.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Beginning of an Incident.

The morning dew of the mountains rolled through the quiet forest. Light only shined through few small pockets of canopy. There was little movement. The greenery was draped with mist and moisture. Life here was very silent and often undisturbed. Here, Pokemon would live freely without human contact. Combee could buzz from hive to hive, Bidoof's and Bibarel would travel through rivers to find more and more wood, and the occasional bird would land on the branches of elderly tree's. There were few if any visitors here. Pokemon would search for food, a never ending task that drove the woods. Life went undisturbed, save for a few bushes rustlingly as a certain Pokemon moved through the green.

The subject was not overly impressive from a distant spectator. It was a small being less than two feet log, and no more than eight inches tall. It almost seemed covered in grass, with two petals coming from its sides. The hedgehog like-creature was sticking low to the ground to blend in with the shrubbery. At a distance, it was practically invisible to the naked eye which was essential for its camouflage. A creature such as this could not run fast in its current form. Its primary defense was staying hidden, which is something that this precarious Pokemon could do well. It was an outsider, a nomad, that was traveling on its never ending journey. It would navigate these mountains in order to advance to the east, where there were springs and natural gardens of flowers and lush foliage. Such a destination would be too hard to reach for many Pokemon, but for this one, this was essential. Every year, after the quiet months of simple living, this Pokemon would join his friends and go on a pilgrimage to the place he was born. He would return to his birthplace and gather with the other members of his species for the summer months. After the beautiful months end, he returns to his boring life of isolation. He becomes a nomad again and breaks contact with the world. The only reason he does this is to protect himself. His species is not necessarily skittish, but rather it is very alert to the world. Larger more dangerous Pokemon and human civilization is generally avoided. He remains alone until next year when the whole routine is repeated till the end of his life.

This is his life. This is the life of Shaymin.

He crawls along the forest floor searching for trail left by another Shaymin. His sinus' were very well developed and he could sense a trail that was over 5 days old. He was searching the ground when he heard a noise above. Instinctively, he curls up and blends in with a patch of weeds, ready to retaliate if a predator attempts to strike. Staraptor were the most dangerous hunters for a Shaymin. They are ruthless and will pluck Shaymin away to their nests where they are devoured by their hatchlings. Shaymin himself had heard stories about how other Shaymin were snatched away by a single Staraptor. Their talons crush them and as they are flying, they hold the Shaymin firm until they suffocate and become lifeless bags of flesh for Starly and Staravia. Even though he fears large predators, he has fought them off with Seed Bombs and Magical Leafs when cornered. Still, he understands the dangers they pose and he crouches down waiting.

A small group of Combee turn out to be the noise creators and they fly by harmlessly. Shaymin cursed himself for getting all upset over a few Combee but he reminded himself that it could have been worse. Much worse. There are dangerous creatures in the world and many would kill Shaymin in a heartbeat if they thought he was worth attacking. He moved on silently when he sensed something in the air. Moisture. Fresh. He moved towards it and light was starting to penetrate. He came upon a spring. The crystal water was flowing softly and the water looked very attractive to the dehydrated Shaymin. However, he was beaten by a lone Stunky. He sent it away with a piercing Magical leaf and the Poison type yelped away. Before Shaymin reached the pool, however, he paused. He considered whether he should be exposing himself where something might spot him. A pool was a hideout for larger Pokemon and Shaymin was in no mood to be picking a fight with a territorial Luxray or Vespiqueen. Still, thrust was powerful, and he began to drink from the soothing lake. He gulped down fresh water for several moments and let his guard down. He felt a strange presence however and the ground suddenly shook with a heavy thud. He whipped sideways to stare at a terrifying sight.

On a small peninsula was a behemoth Pokemon. It was shaped like a sauropod and had a massive plate on its forward chest. The air became unnaturally tense, as if time was being slowed in the creatures breathing. A large ridge grew just beyond its tail and a single diamond was shining on its forward chest plate. Three massive claws dug into the earth from the monstrous legs of the creature. It was more than fifteen feet tall and must have weighed over a 1000 pounds. Shaymin wanted to run, or hide, or even call out to the creature. But he was too captivated by the sight. Even though his instincts told him to flee, he couldn't help but stare at the creature with awe. The creature was a mystery to Shaymin, but not too others.

* * *

Hidden, somewhere, was another world. In this space, time was not in sync with space and the properties of physics were distorted. This world was chaotic in the realm of reality and the rules of life were not set in stone. Here, islands floated in air, archways bent into full circles, tree grew upside down, buildings were not always straight, and water flowed loosely. Here, there was no humans, no contact with the real world, and no Pokemon, save one. A basilisk that has been banished to this dimension millennia into the past. The creature had massive tentacles running behind the massive spikes and ridges on the creatures side. Massive black and red stripes ran across the 20' long body in perfect symmetry. The most striking feature was the creatures face. It had two spikes defending the crown like crest on its head. The crown was golden and in the center was a jewel-like orb that ran between the creatures eyes. The Griseous orb, the jewel of Giratina. It watched from the depths of this alternate dimension and stared at its target, Dialga. It stared, ready to strike.

* * *

Shaymin wanted to run. He wanted to escape, but he didn't want the giant Pokemon to become aware of him. For all he knew, it probably already was! At the same time, not being aware could be a danger. If the Pokemon decided to move towards him and walk alongside the pool, it could accidentally step on him! He needed to get away before something happened, but he was too shocked to move. The creature bent its head down and tapped the water when a whirling vortex erupted from nowhere. The creature revolted back but was caught in some sort of web. A larger Pokemon appeared from the vortex and grabbed ahold of him. The whirlwind blasted sideways and began to tear through the woods, sucking everything in its path. Shaymin felt himself being lifted and he grabbed onto a nearby root. The wind was too strong and he was lifted away. He screamed in the air as the two giants struggled for dominance. The blue one was being pulled into the abyss by the shadowy one and they were disappearing. Shaymin found himself clinging onto the ridge of the blue one and hanging on for dear life. Then the world became black and the sunlight disappeared.

Giratina was dragging Dialga farther and farther away from the portal and deeper into the reverse world. It used its serpentine body to pin Dialga down against an island. Dialga cried out in pain but was unable to break free. Giratina continued to crush its opponent and press down on it like a python to a rodent, unaware that it was killing a rodent that carried a trespasser.

* * *

A figure appeared several kilometers away and it ran towards the scene, with a Shieldon following it. He wore a red shirt and torn khaki's. He resembled an outcast who had been away from civilization for years. Yet despite this, Newton Graceland was unusually fit and looked like a typical scientist. He wore advanced equipment and was fully self sufficient in this world. His Shieldon was his only companion and he was not often alarmed by events. He rarely saw anything too interesting and most of his time was spent studying in isolation. But something was happening. Something that was very unusual. As he watched the battle from a distance, he managed to comprehend the raw details.

"So, Giratina has finally captured Dialga." He acknowledged. "I figured this would happen eventually." He scanned the scene from one of his cybernetic arms. He had modified his technology into his backpack and they could do most anything. They were scanners, pincers, laser sighters, and key typers for his personal holo-computer. They were designed by Newton himself and could do whatever he wanted with ease. They were thoroughly advanced. As they scanned the fight, they were able to make extremely precise calculations. Still, Newton wondered if they were prone to malfunction. They had been unreliable in the past, and sometimes misidentified physical properties. Even now, they seemed to be malfunctioning in detecting the lifeforms. There were only two present, but for some unknown reason, they read three!

"Strange. How could..." He scanned the surrounding area for Palkia. Perhaps this was a dual capture and Giratina sought both legendary Pokemon. They showed negative but there were still three Pokemon detected. "If Palkia's not here, then what is?" He prompted the scanner to show location with each Pokemon. Giratina's location made sense, as did Dialga's. However, there was a Pokemon directly where Dialga was. He magnified. Nothing.

"This can't be a glitch." He prompted it to scan further and further. Finally something came up. An image. It showed a small green object on Dialga's rear ridge. It was a Pokemon and it was very small compared to the giant legends. It was also considered a legendary Pokemon but a odd one. One that would never arrive here under any conditions.

"What is it doing here?"

* * *

Dialga roared and cried out as Giratina attacked him with its tentacles and claws. He was being punched by savage Shadow Claws and he writhed back and forth. Finally, it managed to fly up and it raced towards the portal that had taken him. Shaymin flew off and spun away only to bounce off Giratina as the Renegade Pokemon gave chase to the Temporal Pokemon.

Dialga was almost there. 30 meters. 20 meters. 10 meters.

Bang!

A massive Aura Sphere hit him in the back and Dialga recoiled from the blow. It whipped around only to have Giratina drag it back into the depths. The portal faded away Dialga realized it was cornered. It charged a Hyper Beam as Giratina formed a will o wisp. The attacks collided and the world shook from the shockwave. Dialga flew down and Giratina charged after him.

Shaymin was trying to climb up a ledge and it clung on with all its strength. He had no idea what was happening but he saw the two giants approaching. Obviously the blue one was a target to the larger one and they were fighting furiously. They would be using the island he was on as a battlefield and that couldn't be good. The blue one soared overhead and the larger more serpentine one smashed through trees and debris. The giant pushed a massive cloud of pollutants towards Shaymin and the gratitude Pokemon held its breath. The petals on its side became black and the smog began to vanish. His body gained pigment as his ultimate move was being charged. When Shaymin are close to pollutants, they take in nearby pollutants and purify them in explosive bursts. These flares could be lethal if enough pollutants are absorbed; Shaymin knew that this move would be needed if he somehow got too involved with the clash of titans.

The giants were exchanging attacks around the island. Dialga unleashed frequent Flash Cannon's and Hyper Beams as Giratina shot Will o wisps and Dragon Pulses. Dialga was stronger but it was much slower and it started to lose the fight. A will o wisp drove home and the temporal Pokemon collapsed onto the island. Giratina moved in for the kill. Its head rose over the edge of the cliff and it cast a large shadow over the island. It charged a massive fireball when it noticed something odd. There was a Pokemon in its firing range; a small bush-like creature that clung to the earth. The fireball was ready to be unleashed but it paused. The smaller creature was doing something strange. It glowed white and was screaming in fear.

Then it happened. A powerful shockwave boomed through the reverse world and blasted Giratina away. The Renegade Pokemon was directly in front of the explosion and took the hit full blast in the face. It's Griseous orb cracked and the titan screamed in agony. It began to fall at a rapid rate and it continued to descent deeper into the reverse world. Dialga was also blasted back and screamed in surprise. Even Newton, from a great distance, was blinded by the flash and was forced to look away. A large portal opened in the sky above and Shaymin was pulled upwards. He levitated through the portal and saw a world of light. It found itself falling and disappeared into a river. It was out.

* * *

Newton had no idea what happened. He couldn't see through the explosion and for all he knew either Giratina or Dialga had died. When the white light cleared he managed to peak out past the tree. The island that Dialga had crashed on had been totally destroyed. Dialga floated over the space and looked down into the depths of the reverse world. Giratina was still not present and the air was unnaturally quiet. Dialga flew in front of the newborn portal and it prepared to enter it when he heard a blood curdling battle cry. The temporal Pokemon disappeared through the portal and managed to see the faint shape of Giratina approaching. Dialga's diamond glowed blue and its back ridge grew large. A violet orb became a beam that was released from its gaping mouth and the portal was destroyed.

From the inside, it looked like Giratina struck a wall. It recoiled back and angrily opened another portal. A massive tornado was forced out of its mouth and a blackish hole appeared. Only moments ago had the portal closed. He was so close. Had it been a few more moments he would have broken through and escaped into the real world. As the new portal formed he tried to fly through, but stopped. It was extremely painful to try to pass through for an unknown reason and his head throbbed. He tried again but no luck. He was trapped. Unable to escape.

Because of Shaymin!

It screamed in anger and began to fire Dragon Pulses in a rage. It flew away and screamed angrily into the reverse world. Newton watched it disappear and he began to put it all together. "Shaymin damaged the Griseous orb. That's why it can't escape. Because Shaymin trapped it here." He ran to the caves with his Shieldon and decided to remain hidden. He didn't know if Giratina would come back and he didn't want to be around when it did.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shaymin tossed and turned in the frigid water. He was not designed to swim in his natural form and he couldn't control himself. He bashed along many rocks and struggled to get enough air to breath. He was freezing but he had no way to grab a rock to stop himself or climb to higher ground. He wished he had just ran when he saw the monstrous Pokemon at the pond instead of stand there like an idiot. If he had just ran, he wouldn't be in this mess and would still be back in the forest. He would be safe on land, rather than lost in a river, heading towards new dangers that would soon await him.


	2. Chapter 2 Unexpected Encounter

**Well chapter 1 was awesome. This is an appropriate time to explain some things. One, some of Ash's and one of Dawn's Pokemon will be evolved and stronger. Also, I would like to point out that although this is not a romance story, feel free to consider the relationship between Ash and Dawn to be boyfriend girlfriend. Furthermore, the-**

 **Shaymin: Can we keep going? Enough with the intro lets get on with it.**

 **Me: SHAYMIN! You broke the 4th wall!**

 **Shaymin: Fifth wall. We already broke the first, second, third, and fourth.**

 **Me: I didn't say you could break the fourth-**

 **Shaymin: Fifth!**

 **Me: Whatever. Anyway, you can't get involved like this. The audience didn't ask for your opinion. I'm silencing you.**

 **Ash: Thats kinda rude.**

 **Me: ASH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?**

 **Shaymin: We're here because we can be.**

 **Me: Look everyone stop. You guys have to be quiet or I will delete all you say.**

 **Ash: Okay, fine. Can we please continue though?**

 **Me: Yes. Sorry audience, these two really want to talk today. Maybe they won't appear next time. But anyway, lets continue.**

Chapter 2 Unexpected Encounter

This is Ash Ketchum. He is a Pokemon trainer from Pallet town. In secret, he is a Pokemon master that has the power of Pokemon league champions. He has stopped crime lords, defeated legends, and saved the world on countless occasions. As he stared out at the harbor, he breathed in cool air of the summer breeze. He was relaxing, which was strangely unusual. He was used to traveling so much that he never thought about stopping somewhere and just being carefree. Now he actually had a chance to do nothing. No gym leaders to get stressed over, no need to go see another city, and maybe no Team Rocket even!

"I need a vacation." Ash sighed. He looked to his right to see his most trusted companion.

This is Pikachu. He is Ash's first Pokemon and one of Ash's greatest friends ever. They have worked side by side and never given up on each other. They fight with courage against any foe; they triumph over all obstacles thrown their way; they don't back down in defeat and work harder and harder; they are unbeatable.

Ash's companion sighed as his trainer patted its head. "What do you think, Pikachu? You think we got a chance at being champions someday."

"Pika." Pikachu nodded and Ash smiled. They stared out at the lake that surrounded the town, Ten'i Village. It was a small village that had surfaced from a valley that was once carved by glaciers. During an ice age, the ice sheets carved down the Sinnoh region and tore through mountains and pressed into the earth. The seas retreated and the ice cooled the entire region. Finally, when they retreated due to climate change, most of the earth became free of glaciers. Here by the Ten'i Village, there was still a glacier formation that peacefully resided here. It had long ago solidified with the mountains and was now harmless and dormant.

Wingull rested on rocks and the occasional Magicarp or Finneon jumped out of the water. It was beautiful here and Ash wouldn't forsake its beauty. He sat down on a bench and hummed softly as Pikachu sat next to him.

"Pikachu, Pika."

"You read my mind, Pikachu. I deserve a vacation. I don't need to become a Pokemon master immediately do I?" Ash laughed.

"Pika."

"Yep." The teen stretched his arms and sat in his bench comfortably. He enjoyed the sea breeze because it reminded him of Pallet town. The thoughts of his past sent him dozing off and he remembered his first few days as a trainer. Getting a disobedient Pikachu that refused to fight for him. Getting attacked by Spearow and stealing Misty's bike. Those were good times. They ended up becoming friends and together they travelled through the Kanto region, the orange archipelago, Johto, Hoenn, and now Sinnoh. After all his adventures, he was confident that he had the qualifications of a Pokemon master. He just needed to prove it someday. Until then, he would continue to travel and embark on new adventures. For all he knew, he was going to embark on one right now! He was interrupted by a tapping on his arm. He looked down and realized that he was dozing off. He got up and Pikachu watched him expectantly.

"Come on bud, lets get back to the others. Dawn and Brock are probably almost done cooking by now."Ash explained. His comrade jumped up and they started to walk at first, taking a peaceful stroll by the railing. A surge of energy sent him running and his comrade jumped down to run beside him. They felt alive and the wind rushed past them. Nobody was around and they were able to run freely down the sidewalk. When they reached the stairs to the central park, they were still filled with power and they charged up. They reached the top and saw their friends waiting for them.

"Made it. Just in time." Ash laughed.

"Not bad Ash, maybe next time you'll be two hours late." Brock chuckled.

"Maybe. Anyway is breakfast ready?" Ash asked.

"Pretty much. We baked Pancakes, that okay for you." Dawn smiled.

"Dawn, I'll eat anything if you guys say its good. But thanks for asking." Ash sighed. He started to walk over when Dawn stopped him.

"Did you wash your hands?" She questioned.

"Oh, yeah. Totally. I have always washed my hands from the moment I met you." Ash began, all the while hiding Pikachu behind him and rubbing his hands all over the mouse. Pikachu groaned as Ash did this and finally let out a thunder shock. Ash yelped from the shock and the hair on his head shot upwards. When the lightning mouse stopped he pulled him in front to give a defeated expression. "Yeah, I deserved that."

"Yes you did." Dawn agreed.

"Pika pi."

"But hey, no dirty hands now, huh. I'm clean." He laughed.

"Not your hair." Dawn laughed. The boy touched his electrocuted hair and began to pat it down. He groaned as he set himself straight and was thankful that Pikachu didn't burn his clothes. Sometimes the thunder shock mildly zapped him, sometimes it hurt him a little bit, and sometimes on rare occasions it practically caused him to lose consciousness. At least this time it only hurt a bit. He ironically had to wash his hands because of habit and he sat on a table. As the food sat on a table they decided to release their Pokemon. Dawn went first and released all of hers, Piplup, Ambipom, Buneary, Pachirisu, and Piloswine. Brock went second with Croagunk, Sudowoodo, and Happiny. Ash went last with his Staravia, Gliscor, Buizel, Torterra and Infernape. They all smiled and began to feed their Pokemon, unaware that a certain Pokemon was watching their food.

* * *

Shaymin watched from a distance, unsure how to proceed. He had managed to escape from the river by sliding onto a log and climbing to safety. But before that he had fallen down a waterfall, been chased by a Kingler, and bashed more rocks. He was still freezing and he felt somewhat sick. Still, he was feeling fit enough to travel and he had reached the picnic area. He had picked up the scent from miles away and he felt drawn by hunger. He didn't remember the last time he ate. He had been traveling for hours and found the scent of food irresistible. When he reached it, he realized that he had travelled into human settlement and that he was dangerously close to getting spotted by humans.

The food was sitting there, just tempting Shaymin to go and get it. His instincts told him not to. It was bait trying to lure him out. But at the same time it wasnt. The humans had left, they were gone. He struggled to decide and he weighed both options. He decided that even though it was risky, he might manage to sneak away with a little food, without being detected. He took the gamble and walked into the sunlight. He was only a few meters away and he quickly scurried under the table. He leaped onto the seat and then again onto the tabletop. He snaked behind a metal platter and watched a huge stack of pancakes. He saw the maple syrup dripping into the strawberries below and his mouth watered. He peaked his head out. All clear. He grabbed a pancake and started to munch on it like a Snorlax. He couldn't stop himself and he ate more and more. It was just too good! He was too into the moment to react to a gasp from far away.

Only when he saw them running to him did Shaymin freeze. He dropped whatever he was eating and backed up. A small penguin like creature jumped up and started to squeak at him. As it approached Shaymin bit down on its wing and the bird shrieked. Shaymin dashed over the food and during the chaos he jumped into the portable stove, not even caring if it was on or not.

Unfortunately, it was. Even worse, the moment Shaymin jumped into it, the lid fell down, trapping him. He cried out in pain as the hot grill began to burn his feet. _"I can't die like this!"_ he thought with worry. He acted like he was being cooked alive and he jumped up and down like a panicked cat. He grimaced as he felt the stove shake and start to fall over.

 _"Oh, not good!"_ He thought with dread.

The stove collapsed and the entire picnic area was consumed in smoke. Ash, Dawn, and Brock all coughed from the smoke and shielded their eyes. What was happening, and who or what jumped into the portable stove? Ash felt the smoke start to clear and thought that it was disappearing into the sky. Suddenly he realized that it was not going up but rather behind him. Something was sucking it in. He turned around to see a flash of light. Then bang, like a TNT crate the oven blew up and a shockwave sent him spinning along with Dawn, Brock, and all the other Pokemon. "Something had CREATED an explosion!" Ash thought with shock. "What the hell was going on!"

* * *

That something started to get up and wanted to run. It didn't want to use Seed Flare but it had no choice. If he didn't he would have suffocated and died. He wondered if perhaps he had somehow blasted them away or worse killed them. When the smoke cleared, it revealed a scene of chaos. Three humans, two males and one female, were groaning from the blast with their assorted Pokemon. The Pokemon had bruises, burns, and other injuries from the explosion and several had swirls in their eyes. Some however were getting back up and they all angrily stared at Shaymin. They began to march in on him and Shaymin backed away, only to find his rear blocked as well by more Pokemon. Then he began to glow green. Magical leaves shot out and began to strike at the Pokemon. The scene became chaotic and Shaymin launched more and more magical leaves to attack. Most of the Pokemon were being sent scurrying away but some continued to advance. Shaymin started to get nervous when he felt his entire body getting zapped by a powerful thunderbolt. He screamed in agony and rolled away from the attack. When the lightning stopped he fell sideways and watched as the other Pokemon charged towards him, ready to retaliate.

Before they could strike Dawn stepped in front of Shaymin with her arms raised. The Pokemon stopped and backed away slowly. "Stop it! All of you, stand down." The Pokemon bowed in submission and Dawn turned around to face Shaymin. The Pokemon expected her to strike him or yell at him or scold him for being so reckless. Instead she stroked him and kindly asked. "Hey there, whats going on? Did they hurt you?" Shaymin nodded and felt somewhat better.

"My names Dawn, whats yours?"

Shaymin didn't know how to proceed but he decided to reply anyway. He didn't know if she was aware he could speak or not, but he didn't want to get into it yet.

"Shaymin." He replied. Somewhere, he heard a Pikachu say something negative and Shaymin landed on his feet and ran forward. He faced the mouse and angrily yelled at him.

"Why did you thunderbolt me? You could've killed me!" Shaymin screamed.

"Pi Pika!"

"Oh, you intended to kill me? Why thanks so much, by all means please continue!" All feelings of hostility returned and Shaymin began to charge more magical leaves. Pikachu charged a thunderbolt and they prepared to fight.

"Both of you stop it. We don't want to have any fighting. Pikachu, don't shock him." Dawn commanded. Pikachu stopped charging thunderbolt but still glared at Shaymin. Finally it backed off and ran towards Ash who watched the whole scene from a distance. He felt pity for the creature but didn't know why it was trying to steal their food. Dawn seemed much more caring and it picked Shaymin up gently and walked over to the sink. She used a towel and washed off the dirt on his body. He was much cleaner and he shook his body side to side when he was put down. He watched as the two men watched him intensely. One seemed older and had darker skin and brown hair. The other was younger, had black hair and was fair skinned. The Pikachu from earlier was on his shoulder and sill gave him strange looks.

"What are you, exactly?"

"Well for your information I'm Shaymin. Your average talking Pokemon." Shaymin smirked. He expected Ash to react with shock or surprise at his telepathic abilities, confident that he had never seen a Pokemon like him before. Instead, Ash stared with little reaction and Shaymin was the one who was surprised.

"What, no, "How are you talking, mysterious unknown creature?" You could've seen me before have you?"

"No, but I have ran into many other talking Pokemon so at this stage its not all that surprising. Sorry to spoil the fun." Ash callously replied. "I suppose I could act surprised for you."

"Dont patronize me." Shaymin silently replied.

"No worries, Shaymin." Ash smiled. "You did give us quite a shock earlier with your explosion."

"Did I hurt anyone?"

"No, at least not seriously."

"I'm not sure if I should be glad I didn't kill someone, or upset that my attack was so ineffective." Shaymin laughed.

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure you could have killed us if you tried." Ash replied.

"Well, nice knowing you, but I gotta go." Shaymin said. He leapt down and started to walk away when Dawn stopped him.

"Why?"

"I have to get to somewhere important." Shaymin coughed. He felt suddenly sick and felt weak. Dawn picked him up and felt his head. He was burning with a fever. "We have to take it to a Pokemon center!" She gasped.

"Yeah, here I'll hold it for you." Ash nodded. As he walked over to the Pokemon a leaf sprung out and sliced his arm. Ash had a stinging sensation in his arm and looked at his arm. His arm was exposed and a red line was running down it. Blood. He was attacked and the pain started to creep up his arm. "Ow!" Three more buzzed out and attacked the bleeding arm. More lines appeared and he screamed in pain. "OWWWWW!"

Brock grabbed a blue towel and tossed it on Shaymin. Ash rubbed his arm and grimaced in pain. The trainers returned their Pokemon and started to run to the Pokemon center, with Shaymin unwillingly being carried off. Dawn still carried Shaymin and Ash rubbed his arm. Now they had two patients. Things certainly got interesting.


	3. Chapter 3 The New Arrival

**All right everybody. Lets see how we do in this chapter. Our hero Shaymin met his new friends, Ash, Dawn, and Brock. Now, they are taking him to a Pokemon center to get him healed.**

 **Shaymin: Yeah, against my will!**

 **Me: Oh be quiet, you were injured and you attacked Ash.**

 **Ash: Those hurt.**

 **Shaymin: Oh come on, that was a perfectly reasonable. You attacked me.**

 **Ash: Because you stole our food.**

 **Shaymin: I was hungry.**

 **Me: Oh be quiet you two. We're boring our audience. Do you want to see the rest of the story or bicker?**

 **Shaymin: Sorry.**

 **Ash: Me too.**

 **Me: Okay then, lets get along and he continue.**

Chapter 3 The New Arrival

"HELP! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" Shaymin screamed as Dawn carried him with the blue blanket. The trio of humans ran and took the unwilling Shaymin with them. He couldn't see and didn't know if he was getting abducted or not. He vaguely remembered the humans saying something about a place called a Pokemon center. He didn't know that was a place where sick Pokemon go; to him, it was just another place where humans were. Maybe they were going to steal him and send him to some farm or worse just a folder on a personal computer, where he would be a downloaded object that could be held as 'data.'

"Hey, somebody take this damn blanket off me! I can't breathe!" Shaymin coughed. "If I'm sick then why are you trying to suffocate me!?"

Ash was glaring at the blanket that held the Pokemon that attacked him. He wanted to scream at it but he knew it only acted in defense. As they ran, Brock gave him a cloth that he wrapped around his arm to stop the bleeding. As he listened to the Pokemon, he figured that the Pokemon had a point and started to slow down. Why was he helping this Pokemon? He attacked him after all. He normally wouldn't question why he would help a Pokemon, rouge or not, but this one was clearly rejecting it? Why? They were only trying to help. Or was it that this Pokemon feared people in general and didn't want to be in contact with these 'humans.' He put himself in Shaymin's position and to him, this was a kidnapping. He was only trying to get food earlier, and now these people were taking him somewhere he had never been to before. All these details prompted him to stop running. The others were surprised and stopped too, wondering if something was wrong. "Ash, why are we stopping?" Dawn asked with urgency.

"I know this may sound weird but why are we doing this? Why are we taking this, 'Shaymin', to a Pokemon center?" Ash asked. The question seemed absurd to the others and they stared dumbly.

"What do you mean, why? It's sick you idiot!" Dawn pouted.

"Yeah, but it doesn't want to go to the Pokemon center. It just wants to run away!"

"THANK YOU!" Shaymin screamed beneath the blanket. "Now can you please let go? It's kinda hard to breath in here."

"But Ash, its sick. We can't just let Shaymin go!" Dawn replied.

"Can we let our patient decide?" Ash rebuked. "I mean this involves him. Lets allow him to speak."

Dawn wanted to argue but she gave up. He made sense and she removed the blanket from Shaymin. The Gratitude Pokemon inhaled deeply and coughed again. "Wow. I never realized how great real air tasted." The Pokemon relaxed and felt better. He looked at Ash and smiled a little. "Thanks for having your girlfriend let me go."

"No problem." Ash grinned.

"Hey." Dawn scolded. "I'm not that bad!"

"No offense, lady, but I nearly died in there." Shaymin replied cooly. Ash started laughing but this only got him a kick in the leg from Dawn. He grimaced and rubbed his leg from the hit. He stumbled a bit before regaining his footing.

"I'm sorry, I deserved that." He said with defeat.

"Indeed. Shaymin, I promise not to suffocate you."

"No blanket either?" Shaymin asked.

"No blanket. Now we're taking you to a place called a Pokemon center. They'll heal you up there. Are you okay with us taking you there?"

"I guess. Sure." Shaymin nodded. "But any funny business and I'll use Magical leaf and blind all of you!" They all nodded in understanding and continued to walk towards the Pokemon center but with less urgency. Ash didn't love the idea of getting stung by more Magical leaves but he figured nothing would happen if all went well. They would be there soon and there was no need to rush it.

* * *

3 hours later.

They had brought Shaymin to nurse joy and they took him to a white room where he would be healed. Ash remembered the scene that unfolded in the white room. Shaymin was rather agitated when they told him he would be injected with a hyper potion and panicked when a needle was brought out. He tried to get away but he was unable to get off the table in time.

Ash remembered when he screamed, "There is no way you are sticking that thing into me!" But Nurse Joy was fast and before Shaymin knew it, the hyper potion was already in his system. Ash remembered him getting all groggy and falling asleep as the medicine worked its way through his system. During the three hours, Ash got his arm healed and the wound was already much better. He was no longer mad at Shaymin and he actually felt sorry for it. It had been three hours and Shaymin was only starting to regain consciousness. Ash motioned for Dawn and Brock and they walked into the room together. They figured that Shaymin would prefer to see them and not the nurse. They opened the door and prepared to greet their furry companion.

Shaymin's eyes were groggy and dull. His eyelids were heavy and the light was very uncomfortable. Still, he rose and got up onto his feet. He saw Ash and the others and smiled a bit. "These humans are a little less frightening now." He thought silently. "Actually, they are a lot better. In fact, they have been nice to me." He grinned. He rose up and started to speak. He faked ridicule and wanted to see their reactions.

"Well that sure was overkill. First you kidnap me, then you trick me, then you inject me, and finally you knock me under." He teased. They felt offended and stared at him angrily. Shaymin then returned an evil look before bursting out laughing. "I'm kidding you guys, geez, that was hilarious." He laughed. Ash then ran forward and rubbed the Pokemon's head in teasing humor. They all laughed and Shaymin smiled sincerely. "Seriously, I don't think I would've made it this far if it weren't for all of you. So you have my appreciation."

"Thanks, Shaymin." Ash replied. "I know you met Dawn, but we never really introduced ourselves. My names Ash, this is Brock, and this is Pikachu." Ash pointed out each member and Shaymin quickly understood. Pikachu rubbed its ears and gave a sincere apology for zapping him earlier.

"No worries, Pikachu. You were defending your friends weren't you? That's not something to be ashamed of." Shaymin explained. "If anything, I should apologize to you." Pikachu nodded and Shaymin felt unusually good. He had met four really nice people, and they all cared for him. He felt bad for yelling at them all earlier and thought that now would be the appropriate time to apologize. He sighed and started to speak again. "Listen, I know I've been a jerk earlier and I wanted to say I'm sorry. I thought you guys were just trying to take advantage of me and take me for your own good. It was wrong and I was rude earlier. Sorry Ash, for hitting you with those Magical leaves. Sorry for everything and…thank you."

There was a silence in the air and Dawn was the first to speak. "Its alright Shaymin, were just being friendly and we are always kind to others, including you."

"And Shaymin, I forgive you." Ash nodded.

"Thanks, guys."

"Now tell us more about yourself. Its okay, you can trust us." Dawn continued. Shaymin felt relieved and calmed down a bit. He was about to speak when he paused for a moment. He was silent for a moment because he wasn't sure whether he should mention the encounter with the two giant Pokemon and the strange place he visited. They would probably say he's crazy or something absurd or would try to get more information about what happened. He honestly thought that mentioning what happened would be foolish and stupid. He chose his words carefully and started to talk about his experiences.

"You see, I'm a legendary Pokemon. I know that sounds ridiculous but its true. I am a legendary and I am part of a species called the Shaymin, the flower bearers. We mostly live in Sinnoh but we occasionally travel to other regions. Every year, those in Sinnoh travel to a place called the Gracidea Flower Garden, or to some the Flower Paradise. We meet there to collect for the summer and we travel together around the world until we come back here. I was trying to get there when I got lost and ended up stuck in a river. I managed to get away but I was freezing and hungry. When I found a scent trail I ended up at the picnic area and that's how I ended up meeting you guys.

"I see." Ash followed.

"I do need to get to the flower garden so I need to get going, sadly."

"Wait a minute." Dawn chimed in. "We'll take you to the garden. We'd love to go."

"Uh, sure." Ash agreed.

"Sounds good to me." Brock followed.

"Wait, really? I mean its pretty far, I think, and I have already received enough from you." Shaymin replied.

"Don't be ridiculous. Now, if you are the Gratitude Pokemon, you should be loving this moment." Dawn continued.

"Uh, thats not really how it works-"

"What do you mean thats not how it works?" Ash asked.

"I simply go to places that are beaming with gratitude and occasionally give people reasons to be thankful. I don't ask people to thank me! I don't beg for it or make people feel bad if they don't thank me. Also, I don't seek gain or help if I don't need it."

"You bring gratitude to others." Brock followed.

"Yeah, pretty much, when I am traveling near cities."

"So your like…..a Pokemon cupid?" Ash asked.

"No. I bring gratitude, Ash. Not love."

"But love is a form of gratitude." Ash grinned.

"No, its not. It's respect and appreciation. Love is compassion and sincerity." Shaymin explained.

"How come you never appear during thanksgiving?" Dawn asked with a weird expression. "Isn't that the season of gra-"

"Pokemon don't really follow human holidays. And secondly, its too cold! The flowers aren't growing here and nobody wants to travel in the snow."

"I guess your grateful for the weather." Ash teased. Dawn and Shaymin glared at him for a bit before the Pokemon continued.

"The bottom line is this. The flower garden is far away, and I don't need you guys to come to repay me."

"Shaymin, when we help people, we help them till the end. Now how to we get there?" Ash replied. Shaymin sighed in defeat. He was going to have to let them come. He just hoped there wouldn't be any problems on the way. Going on a long journey in the woods wouldn't be easy; the last thing he needed to do was make them unthankful.

"Okay, you can come with." Shaymin smiled. They're faces lit up and even the Gratitude Pokemon felt exceptionally pleased. "Where are we now exactly?"

"We're in a place called the Te'ni Village. Sound at all familiar." Dawn started.

"No, not really. How about landmarks? Like the glacier sheets or the mountains? Where are they?"

"I think the glaciers are down that lake." Brock answered. "But like you said, they are pretty far out. Several miles I think."

"All right then. We'll start there. Forward." He exclaimed. The Pokemon jumped up and landed on Ash's head. Ash almost jerked back from surprise but he got kept his footing. Shaymin hung over Ash's cap and he looked down a little. "Okey dokey, lets go."

"You comfortable up there?" Ash asked.

"You bet, now lets get out of here." Shaymin nodded. They all started to walk out of the Pokemon center. Unaware that they were being searched for, by someone, somewhere.


	4. Chapter 4 Return to the Underworld

**Well here comes Chapter 4. I think we need to introduce our villain, and we all know who that is. The story starts to get darker, very soon if not** **immediately. It will still be T but there will be violence and occasionally a little language. Are you two ready?**

 **Shaymin: I'm ready.**

 **Ash: Me too.**

 **Me: Then lets go.**

Chapter 4 Return to the Underworld

Somewhere mysterious.

A man was watching recordings of the reverse world. The fight between the two giants, Dialga and Giratina; the capture; the explosion; and the aftermath. He wore a yellow suit that resembled a flight suit with several decorative crests. He had small yellow pads on his abdomen, a red padding on his chest, and a series of black stripes on his legs. If Giratina was capable of transforming into a human, this could be what he would look like. For Zero was a man of ambition. He had been fascinated with Giratina and more importantly, the reverse world. He had examined the renegade Pokemon for years and it became an obsession to learn about it. He wanted to study Giratina, but even more, he wanted to be Giratina. He wanted to be a crusader for an apparent noble cause. To protect the reverse world from the real world. To him, they were separate and the real world was destroying the reverse world. He would rule it, someday.

As he examined the tapes he began to analyze. As he studied Giratina, he knew something was amiss. The renegade Pokemon could normally leave his own world at will. Now, he couldn't. Dialga didn't damage it. It never could have. Something else did; something that made an explosion. This, thing, had somehow destroyed the Griseous orb, he realized. If not destroyed, then severely damaged the orb. Zero knew that the orb was used to create portals, but how it did so was still a mystery.

"A mystery I will solve, I suppose." He said to himself. He typed some commands on his dial pad and a woman appeared. Infi was an alternate intelligence designed to be Zero's personal assistant. She was a white hologram and she appeared next to him. "Continue to scan Giratina. We need to check on his progress."

"As you wish." Infi responded before disappearing. Zero sat in his chair, devising plans for his accession to kingship.

* * *

Ash, Shaymin, and the others were strolling through the sunlight, carefree and composed. They were strolling through a garden and enjoying the scenery. Large beautiful mirrors decorated the pathway and the light shone down blissfully, reflecting off the mirrors and keeping the entire garden lit. Brock was busy reading a map as Dawn and Ash enjoyed talking with the new arrival. Shaymin, meanwhile, was talking about his experiences and Ash was actually enjoying it. Dawn found some parts to be a little mean and Brock was grinning at some of the funnier parts.

"Yeah, and then I had to explain to the Ursaring that we were just strolling, and not trying to kick it out. It didn't like us though and we ended up running for our lives as the Ursaring tried to destroy us with a Focus Blast. Thats when we saw a large tree branch and as it charged we used Magical leaves on it. Before it even knew what happened, boom! The branch landed on him and it stumbled away awkwardly, tripping over rocks and not able to see the trees. We ended up leading it back into his cave by screaming, "This way. Over here you big animal. Taste some nice and juicy Shaymin salad!" It worked and it ended up falling asleep and we walked away. It was great."

"Poor Ursaring." Dawn sighed.

"Poor Ursaring!?" Ash gasped. "Dawn, the bear tried to kill him!"

"You ever see an Ursaring before?" Shaymin asked.

"You bet." Brock chimed in. "Once when we were in Johto, Ash, a girl named Misty, and I were strolling through the woods when we came across a Tediursa. It was very charming at first but it was actually sinister and it was stealing our food and blaming others for taking it. Finally, we learned the truth and we were a bit upset."

"Yeah, and I fought it off with my Chikorita and ended up defeating it. But thats when it evolved and it started chasing us. We had to run away before it decided to attack."

"That's great!" Shaymin laughed. "You set that teddy bear crying."

"Sure did." Ash smiled. "Now where exactly are we going, Shaymin?"

"I don't know, you guys have the map." Shaymin replied.

"How do you get around without help?" Dawn asked.

"Well I never really thought about it. I just travel and search for food or water, something that has a scent."

"Water has a scent?" Ash wondered.

"I detect the moisture in the air, numbnut. But anyway, I manage to just get places without really thinking. I do recognize some landmarks and that can help me get to places such as here, but often I just navigate on my own. As for the flower garden...Brock, what direction is the lake?"

"Why according to this is west."

"And where are the mountains?"

"North of us."

"That means we need to keep traveling southwest, which is where we are going." Shaymin calculated. "Keep onwards my good companions." Shaymin smiled and it occurred to him that he was traveling with friends. The only other times he travelled with others was when he was with his own kind. Never before did somebody ever accompany him to the flower garden. It felt strange. He had always travelled alone and that is how he has always been. He preferred it that way because then he could only focus on himself. Not out of self-righteousness but because of simplicity. He didn't have to worry about anything and he could do what he wanted or what he didn't want. He was free. He enjoyed freedom. It was a gift. But now he was traveling with Ash and the others. Was this good or bad? He decided to go with the current flow of things. Only time would tell.

Perhaps that time would be sooner than later. Shaymin felt a tingling sensation in his hair. Something felt strange. He looked at the sky but it was clear; he looked at the woods but he saw nothing; he looked at the mirrors and saw nothing. Or did he. As he glanced at it, the mirror seemed distorted, broken. It was almost moving. It appeared to be trembling like a bell after it gets struck. Shaymin tensed and immediately jumped off Ash's head. "Run. Run now! They're here!" He screamed. The others turned around with alarm and saw the fear in Shaymin's face. He looked petrified and was shaking uncontrollably. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"What's here?" Dawn asked nervously.

"They...it is here! Run, all of you! Its dangerous!" He felt the mirror humming and he knew something was happening. Before he could react however, he was pulled into the mirror, back into the dark.

* * *

As stared as Shaymin disappeared through the mirror. A vortex had appeared and Shaymin was gone. He just vanished into the portal. Dawn looked livid and she ran towards it and looked down the abyss. She cried out Shaymin's name but there was no answer. Ash stared as she dove into the hole in the mirror and screamed after her. "Dawn wait! DAWN!" When he reached it she had disappeared. Ash roared in anger and picked up Pikachu. "Brock, stay here. I'm won't leave her!"

"But Ash-"

Before Brock could finish Ash leapt into the portal and took Pikachu with him. They descended down the dark cave-like structure and fell rapidly. The world blurred around him and lights flashed in a multitude of color. As he neared the end though, he slowed, as if he was walking on the moon. He touched the ground and looked around for Dawn. He screamed her name and prayed she was here. He saw her standing on the marble floor and he ran to her. He embraced her and was relived she was unharmed.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine. Where are we, though." She asked.

"I'm not sure, but its definitely weird-"

"WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU!?" A voice screamed. "I TOLD YOU TO RUN, GET OUT OF HERE! FLEE! BUT WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU FOLLOW ME! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?"

"Shaymin, you're okay. I thought you disappeared." Ash exclaimed.

"Why did you come?"

"I came because she came and the only reason she's here is because of you."

"But you can't be here! Its dangerous, we need to get out now!" Shaymin screamed. There was a roar somewhere in the distance and they all tensed. They all were covered in a shadow as a shape ascended over them. Shaymin cringed as the monster descended onto them. It glared menacingly and proceeded to roar at them. Images came flashing back and Shaymin remembered the eyes of the monster. How they glowed red before the fireball that would have consumed him. The terrifying sight was back with a vengeance. It gave a deafening battle cry and Shaymin flinched and whimpered from the pain. Ash and the others shielded their ears from the roar and shut their eyes.

"What is that?" Dawn cried out.

"It's going to kill us!" Shaymin screamed.

Ash tensed and gritted his teeth. The Pokemon charged forward and aimed straight at them. This thing was going to attack them and probably kill them. It was going to kill Pikachu; it would kill Shaymin; it would kill Dawn! He had to do something.

"Pikachu, thunderbolt!" He commanded. Pikachu ran forward and blasted a beam of lightning at the dragon. The monster charged at it but before the lightning could strike the giant Pokemon disappeared. Ash gasped and turned in all directions. Dawn tensed and clung onto Ash who moved his arm in front of her defensively. A small light jetted out and Dawn's starter appeared. It was less scared as it was enraged. It ran next to Pikachu and the two Pokemon prepared to fight the monster.

Giratina appeared next to them and it dove down towards Shaymin. Shaymin curled up and shut his eyes with absolute fear. "Pikachu, hit him with thunderbolt."

"Piplup use Bubblebeam!" Dawn cried out. The mouse unleashed a beam of electricity which struck the dragons tentacles and Piplup unleashed a torrent of bubbles at the creatures stomach. Giratina changed its course but was barely injured and it absorbed both blows. That was when a third figure appeared with his Shieldon and ran to Ash and Dawn. "Stop all of you, you need to get away from Giratina!"

"Giratina!" Ash exclaimed.

"Thats what that is?" Dawn added.

The dragon charged forward and unleashed a powerful dragon pulse. The blue fireball descended onto them. It would have demolished the area they were standing on had it not been for Newton's Shieldon and its Ice Beam. Giratina roared and chased after the retreating figures. It prepared to fire a Dragon Pulse when it was forced to turn away from a powerful lightning bolt. The attack hit him anyway and the dragon winced from the savage attack. It turned away and ran off, preparing to surprise them when the time was right. For now it would wait.

* * *

Newton and the others ran through the caves and they were temporarily safe from Giratina. Ash was studying this new character with apparent confusion and disbelief. How was this person living here. He must have never seen another human since who knows when! Who is he, what is he? Is he a recluse? An criminal? He didn't know and probably would never find out on his own. He was even more troubled by the creature from earlier. He had seen many strange and powerful Pokemon before, but not something that had this Pokemon's powers. If that thing lived here, Ash figured he was trespassing in its territory and that probably wasn't a good place to be.

As Ash ran he noticed that the moonlike gravity from earlier vanished. His body felt normal and it seemed he was walking as he would in the real world. Dawn also noticed but their answer was answered before they could ask.

"We're entering a cave with higher gravity. it should feel like the real world." Newton explained. "I'm surprised you three ended up here, or down here."

They stopped and Newton felt that now would be the appropriate time to explain things. "Tell me how did you get here?"

"Well, I'm Ash, this is Dawn, Pikachu, and here is Shaymin." Ash pointed out. Newton nodded and glanced at them all shortly, save for Shaymin. He studied him with interest and the events of the morning came rushing back. _"This can't be a coincidence."_ He thought profusely. " _This must be the one from earlier. I better start talking and informing them before they wind up in trouble again."_

"Well I suppose you might want to know some things."

"Yeah, where are we?" Dawn asked.

"And what's a Giratina?" Ash continued.

"And who exactly are you?" Shaymin finished.

"Newton Graceland is the name. Expert on the Reverse World and Giratina." Newton declared triumphantly. He grinned with admiration and the others stared at him weirdly.

"Expert on the Reverse world." Dawn said skeptically.

"He's kind of a weirdo." Ash stated rather bluntly. Newton looked rather offended but also humiliated and bowed his head.

"Come on." He said sadly. "Thats no way to treat someone who saved your lives."

"We're sorry." Dawn bowed. "Thank you for saving us."

"But without further delay, lets continue on the tour of the reverse world." Newton smiled. They continued walking and Piplup and Pikachu followed behind. Shaymin allowed Dawn to hold him and they all listened intently. "This dimension, is called the reverse world because it is the opposite of reality. Here, the laws of physics are not set in stone and properties change. Gravity becomes weaker or stronger based on where one is. It is connected to the real world but it never intersects it, like two balls of fire that reflect off each other without ever touching. Whatever happens in the real world is reflected in this world." He explained. They followed along and allowed Newton to give his lecture.

"But why are we here?" Ash asked.

"Thats harder to explain. I have to start from the beginning to make this all sound logical. It began when the dimensions of time and space, two dimensions that never should have met, began to collide with each other. Each guardian thought their territory was being invaded. And they began to fight fiercely."

Images came back to Ash like a gentle stream. Dialga and Palkia fighting in Alamo's town; the battle that raged; Darkrai...He shook his head to stay focused and he listened to Newton again. "Tell me, have you either of you two heard of the Pokemon, Dialga and Palkia?"

"Yes. Remember Dawn?"

"Back at Alamo's town." She quietly replied.

"Well they are the guardians of their respected dimensions and when they met, they attacked each other. They proceeded to gain dominance, but they were unaware that they were causing pollution here. Giratina was furious at Dialga and Palkia for violating its home, so it proceeded to the real world and attempted to capture and probably kill Dialga. If it succeeded it would go after Palkia next, most likely."

"Dialga?" Ash followed.

"Hm. But then, when it captured Dialga, it stole a third Pokemon and trapped it here. That Pokemon created an explosion, Seed Flare, and allowed Dialga to escape. That Pokemon, as you may guess, was Shaymin." Ash and Dawn both looked at their friend and the Gratitude Pokemon hid his face. _"I started this and got Ash and Dawn caught up in this mess, didn't I?"_ He thought sadly. He waited for the silence to end before Newton began.

"Giratina, the guardian of the reverse world, normally can leave or enter this dimension at will, by using an item on its crest called the Griseous orb. When Shaymin used Seed Flare, it damaged it and now Giratina is trapped here."

"So thats why it's so angry." Dawn exclaimed.

"Yes, angry at Shaymin." Newton answered.

"Really really angry." Shaymin murmured.

"But you all must want to get out of here I assume." Newton said.

"Yes." they all nodded.

"Then there is no time to lose." He grinned. He commanded his bioarm to search for portals in the reverse world. He found one, it was close to where Ash and the others were earlier. "There is still time. Come on, we may reach the portal before its closes."He signaled them to follow and they ran.


	5. Chapter 5 Escape from the Reverse World

**Sorry that I haven't updated in a long time. Been really busy with college stuff lately and its frustrating. Still, I finished a lot of it and I just got a huge scholarship to the University of Portland and Dominican. I guess it payed off. Anyway, lets continue with this chapter**.

Chapter 5 Escape from the Reverse World

Reverse world

Ash couldn't help but marvel at the world around him. As he stepped on the warped concrete, he almost wondered if the floor would give way at any moment. When he looked below, he saw a glowing bottom. It rippled like the waves of the sea; the artificial sun reflecting off the glassy surface. Bubbles floated all around and they showed different parts of the Village. Ash felt that he was walking through one of those illusionary houses in Saffron City. Everything looked impossible. All the buildings had some sort of bent shape or twisted in a way that defied common sense. In fact, when Ash thought about it, he wondered if he was even right side up. For all he knew, he was upside down.

 _Guess the rules of the real world don't apply here._ He said to himself.

On top of his forehead, Shaymin was dwelling on all that happened. He started from the beginning until he arrived at where he was now. According to Newton, he had hurt Giratina. The concept seemed almost absurd. In size, Shaymin was not even a hundred of the size of Giratina. The fact that he managed to do so much destruction filled him with mixed feelings. Once, he would have been filled with overwhelming confidence. He would view it as a major accomplishment; he defeated a Dragon. That would have been the story.

Now, Shaymin could only feel both embarrassed and red faced. All this excitement had put him in the spotlight. Only instead of a light of praise or respect it was one of contempt and aggression. He didn't know how he felt about Ash and the others now. Now that he knew he was a target to this Giratina, the last thing he wanted to do was have them risk themselves for his own safety. If he did say something though, and they did decide that he was not worth their protection, then that would mean that not only would he have to get to the flower garden on his own but he would have no protection whatsoever. Who knew how long he would last on his own?

He remained silent and decided to focus on the now and not the future.

As they walked they came across a black cloud and Newton led them to a stop. The shape contracted and expanded like a sickly black heart. Sparks could be seen from the interior and it resembled a small storm cloud. Within the gaseous body was a dark entity that was unnatural. The cloud was supposed to be a rare occurrence, only instead of being an occasional sight, it was recently becoming a common occurrence in the reverse world. After years of living here, Newton had seen a steady increase in these entities and it was alarming. Of course, the two trainers had no idea what they were and they just stared in awe.

"What is that?" Dawn finally asked.

"Whenever there is an imbalance between time and space, the reverse world acts as a neutralizer and corrects the change. When this occurs a black cloud appears." Newton explained.

The humans watched from a distance unaware that Pikachu and Piplup were approaching the cloud. They were somewhat frightened of the cloud but they're curiosity took the best of them. Piplup stuck his head out dangerously close and only as it was extended did it realize the risk.

The air was toxic.

"Don't breath it in!" Newton commanded. The two trainers gasped as they realized what could happen. Dawn tried to run out but Ash grabbed her hand and held her back. As if in understanding, Pikachu whipped its tail in front and blew away the cloud like a fan. The tense situation cooled and everybody was able to breath a sigh of relief. All except Piplup, who was trying to hold his breath to his best strength. Shieldon came over to say that the smog had left and only then did Piplup open its mouth and inhale as much air as he could.

"The cloud is poisonous. One breath and it can be lethal." Newton explained. The two trainer nodded their heads and together they continued on. "Unfortunately, those clouds have become more numerous as Dialga and Palkia have increased their hostilities to each other. The mixing of the two dimensions is what caused all these implications, including what is happening in the reverse world."

Shaymin breathed a sigh and finally spoke up. "Okay, but why me? What did I do? I never wanted to get involved in any of this!"

"That may be, but when you used Seed Flare to free Dialga and more importantly _hurt_ Giratina, you got yourself throughly involved." Newton countered.

Shaymin bowed his head in submission. The man was right. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, no matter how badly he wanted to say that he was innocent, no matter how badly he wanted to change the past, the fact was clear. He was involved and there was nothing he could do about it. His actions were most problematic. All of these problems were getting out of hand. He just hoped Giratina would just disappear from his life. Only time would tell.

As they passed by Ash noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was a bubble, but it was floating towards him. The picture inside was awfully familiar. It was geen and blue. The picture came into focus and it revealed a man watching a mirror. Brock.

* * *

Real world

Brock stood outside, thoroughly perplexed as the mirror glowed faintly. When he touched it, it moved like a gel. It was as if the mirror was alive. He had been waiting for minutes it seemed. But then those minutes had started to accumulate and before he knew it he had been staring at the screen for over a half hour. Boredom was starting to kick in. He tried to ignore the fact that some of the walkers looked at him weirdly. In his mind, they saw him as some weird stranger who was staring at a wall. He knew that they were still alive, Ash and Dawn, but he couldn't help but think that they were gone. Forever.

"Ash? Dawn? Come on guys? What happened to you?"

* * *

Reverse World

"Hey thats Brock!" Ash said.

"He must still be there." Dawn replied.

"Maybe he thinks we're dead." Shaymin followed.

"Brock! Brock are you there!?" Ash called.

"Can you hear us?" Dawn asked.

"No, stop it!" Newton screamed upon turning around. Unfortunately, it was too late. Ash had just barely touched the bubble when it burst into a flash of light. They flinched from the explosion and Ash had a very bad feeling.

* * *

Real World

Brock didn't know what happened. He was just sitting there when all the sudden he was blown backwards by an invisible wall. He yelped in surprise and fell onto the grass. He looked up at the mirror with a shocked expression, not sure what was going on. He decided to simply do nothing and just sit still, hoping that nothing strange would happen again.

* * *

Reverse World

"Idiot!" Newton scolded. "Whatever you do here has effects in the real world!"

"So-Sorry." Ash shook his head in understanding. "Hey Dawn, lets uh...lets not tell Brock."

"Good luck with that." She smirked.

"He-Hey!"

"Nice going." Shaymin whispered.

"You be quiet, you would have done the same thing." Ash replied.

"Anyway, changes in those spheres is reflected directly to the real world." Newton continued.

"You mean that if we were to destroy the sphere with electricity, we would create an explosion in the real world?" Dawn asked.

"Most certainly. Although it would probably resemble a small thundercloud more so than an explosion. The point is, whatever you do here is reflected."

They continued onwards until they saw a warped bridge. It curved in a corkscrew and the trainers looked with a sense of confusion. _This keeps getting weirder and weirder,_ Ash thought to himself.

"Gravity gets strange again." Newton announced. He leapt in a huge stride and made a jump that would have been impossible in the real world. Upon landing, he turned around with a smile on his face. "But it can be kinda fun when you get used to it. Come on the destination is right ahead-"

He was interrupted by a roar from behind, or rather below him. The golden scales on his back were mistakable. The long tentacles flowed like waves in the still air. The body seemed to expand indefinitely until the tail finally halted at a golden tip. It was Giratina. It flew ahead and gave loud screeching sounds. It continued to fly away in the distance before turning its body to face the humans. The red eyes glowed ominously and even from a distance they were bright enough to instill fear. Its body twisted and the dragon flew at them.

"What are you doing? Run!" Shaymin screamed while clinging to Ash's head. The boy flinched from the sudden sound of terror and instinctively ran forward. It hopped over levitating rocks as the dragon drew near. It was hard to focus with Shaymin's jerky movements above and the boy tried his best to gain control. He was jumping from one of the stones when he felt the roar from Giratina coming behind him. The breath was like a gust and it knocked Ash towards the ground. The giant mouth barely missed Ash and the boy ducked his head upon roughly touching the ground. He looked up briefly to see that his hat had fallen.

The rider was nowhere to be seen.

Ash gasped and looked up to see Giratina holding a victim in its jaws. Shaymin.

"No, Shaymin!" Ash screamed.

"It can't be!" cried out a voice. Dawn had reached him and she helped him to his feet. The two humans and their trusted partners stared in terror. A strange movement caught Pikachu's attention and it pointed to Ash's hat. The cap was moving. When it was flipped into the air, it revealed none other that what was supposedly in Giratina's jaws. Shaymin.

"You didn't think it get me that easily did you?" Shaymin grinned.

"If thats you then what's that?" Ash asked.

"My little escape plan."

The shape in Giratina's mouth was crushed violently by the dragon. Suddenly it became bright and it burst into light. The dragon screamed upon realizing it was tricked by the decoy. It angrily shut its mouth and prepared to make a second run.

"Substitute." Newton nodded. "Most impressive."

"Oh its nothing." Shaymin replied honestly. "Just a trick I learned."

"Wait, you planned for this?" Dawn asked.

"Oh yes, the day that a massive ghost-like dragon would appear from the depths of hell to consume me and crush my internal organs! I obviously knew! Of course I didn't plan for this you idiots!" Shaymin screamed.

The roar of Giratina prompted them to continue running it would not be long before Giratina returned and there was no telling when that might happen.

"Nows our chance. Hurry." Newton commanded. "Theres the portal. Nothing can get in, but you may be able to get out."

They ran to a blackish hole. It glowed brightly and spun like a vortex. A sense of hope came to the trainers; they might make it; they might escape. However the dragon continued to give chase and wouldn't give up. The heart was filled with a desire for vengeance. It charged a blue sphere and prepared to fire it. Newton took notice and prepared to counter it.

"Shieldon use Ice Beam."

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt." Ash commanded in unison. The two attacks collided with the Dragon Pulse and the attack was negated. The dragon disappeared and Newton saw the opening for escape. Piplup dove first with Pikachu behind him. Dawn was then guided by Ash to the portal and she was helped through. Only two more to go and they were free.

* * *

Real world

Brock was about to give up when he saw a blue shape moving through the portal. It was a head, a very familiar head.

"Piplup?" Brock asked quizzically. The bird fell through the mirror and crashed on the ground.

Next, a yellow mouse came through the mirror and Brock watched with amazement as Ash's partner appeared next to the blue penguin.

"Pikachu?"

Then, a human appeared in the mirror, or rather, half of one. Dawn had here eyes closed and grunted as she tried to push herself through. She felt as if she was trapped in quicksand. She finally opened her eyes to see Brock reaching for her.

"Dawn." He called out before pulling her completely through.

* * *

Reverse world

Giratina reappeared and was approaching again. Shaymin watched from Ash's head as the giant got closer. Ash needed to hurry or else they would get attacked, but his thoughts drifted to Newton. He would be trapped here for who knew how long.

"What about you?" Ash asked.

"I still have things I need to do. You need to leave, or you may not be able to get out!" Newton replied.

Ash nodded and proceeded to exit the reverse world. He grabbed Shaymin from his head and held him with his left arm. He wanted to say some sort of good bye and thank you to Newton, but the roaring of a giant forced him to concentrate solely on escaping.

"Hurry, its coming!" Shaymin screamed.

Giratina was only about 100 meters away when Ash stuck his free hand through the portal. It felt very strange and the boy pulled it back out in reflex. Newton gripped his back and led him through. Giratina roared and accelerated forward.

"Giratina may not be able to leave, but it can still see into the real world. Keep Shaymin hidden, it will be what its looking for. Be careful, Ash, and also beware of mirrors."

The world of light disappeared and Ash stuck his head into the portal with Newton's help. He turned around to see Newton jump away as a massive head came forward at maximum speed. He wanted to help Newton but he felt his hand touch something soft: a human hand. He then felt a tug on his leg and screamed as he was tugged in both directions. He didn't know which way he would end up; would he reach safety with the others; would he be trapped in the reverse world forever; or would he end up ripped in half due to the painful tug of war? He was afraid of not seeing his friends again when he felt Giratina abruptly release him. Together, he and Shaymin fell through the world of blackness and collapsed onto grass. He was out. They escaped.

 **And that does it for chapter 5. Please review and PM me. I may be out for a while but I hope to continue this story. With that said, I'm off. Thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6 Memories of Recent Past

**This is an important note. There will be some flashbacks and backstory in this chapter. I am saying that because I want it to be clear that some of the events in the past anime will NOT be different. Some will be but consider that the previous movies occurred normally, save the one just before this story, and the story may change later on if I decide to do a Pokemon Infinities The Rise of Darkrai. Now, I may end up doing more Pokemon infinities later but they probably won't connect to this story chronologically unless they are from Sinnoh. If that does happen, consider those stories to correspond to completely different universes.**

 **With this said, lets continue.**

Chapter 6 Memories of Recent Past

Ash gasped for breath as he pushed himself to his feet. Below his shadow, Shaymin rolled himself right side up and shook the dust out of his grassy fur. They both stared back at the mirror and watched as the ripples disappeared. It felt good to be back in the real world. Ash's body felt normal again as gravity became present once more. However, they were even more thankful to be away from Giratina; away from the demonic dragon.

"Keep Shaymin hidden, it will be what its looking for. Be careful, Ash, and also beware of mirrors."

Ash dwelled on Newtons parting words. He couldn't help but wonder what happened to him. Was he okay? Last he remembered, he saw Newton leaping away as Giratina charged after him. Ash could only hope that he somehow made it.

"Where were you?" Brock asked finally.

"The reverse world." Ash answered.

"What's that?"

"What happened to Newton? Didn't he come with?" Dawn interrupted.

"No. He stayed behind." Ash answered before facing the mirror again. "He said to keep Shaymin hidden and beware of mirrors." He looked at the reflections of themselves. He examined the left side of his jean. There was a small tear in the legging and a slight amount of skin was exposed. He then turned his focus to his face. The features looked different in many respects. Ash was not the boy from Kanto anymore. He was older; he was stronger; in some respects he was wiser. His eyes were more adult-like; his hair was darker; his skin showed the signs of constant travel.

Brock looked even more like an outdoors man. His arms were bigger, his face was darker, and he had visible facial hair. He was meant to be outside. He couldn't remember the last time he stayed somewhere for longer than a few months. He was constantly on the move. His body had the characteristics of a hiker, a mountain man, a backpacker, and a rock climber all at once. His skin was the color of stone. His clothes were worn and had several tears and marks in various places.

Dawns features were more fair. She looked newer; brighter; more youthful. She had not gone through many different regions as the other two did. She did not experience as much. Even though she approached the same age, Ash and Dawn were different. Ash was a trainer. He was more fond of nature and roughing the outdoors. He had done that for years. That was what made him happy, because it allowed him to experience more. Brock of course was once a gym leader and was now a breeder. He practically lived in the outdoors and was similar to Ash in many respects. Dawn, in contrast, was more fond of city life. Cities held the Pokemon contests and regional championships. She also felt more at home in populated areas. Ash traveled to experience the world and embark on adventures. Brock enjoyed the company and the thrills that came with exploration and adventurism. Dawn traveled to experience people and meet new friends.

This mentality is what caused her to meet Ash.

Ash remembered it all. How she befriended Piplup, explored the area around Twinleaf Town, and found Pikachu. She sought to find the mouse' trainer only to discover that it was a boy from Pallet Town named Ash Ketchum. The two quickly became friends and travelled together. When Ash told her his story, Dawn was thoroughly impressed. He had gotten in the top 16 of the Indigo league, won the Orange League, and defeated his rival, Gary, in Johto. Then he competed in Hoenn and won the Battle Frontier. He also told her about all of his additional adventures. How he saved the world from Mewtwo and Mew by sacrificing himself. He remembered that Dawn actually cried when he told her that story.

He then told her about all of his adventures. How he fulfilled the prophesy of the chosen one, how he saved his mother from the Unknown, how he met Mewtwo again and saved him from Giovanni, how he met Celebi and Sam and battled the Masked Maurader, how he met Latios and her sister Latias and helped them save Alto Mare from destruction, how he helped defeat the mutant Groudon, how he met Deoxys and managed to save LaRousse City, how he defeated the mirage master, how he became an Aura Knight and nearly died once again at the Tree of Beginning, and how he saved his friend May and the legendary Pokemon Manaphy.

She started to become skeptical of Ash after the third story. She refused to believe that he really did all of those things. Only with Brock's reassurance did she finally realize that he was telling the truth. After this, Ash was idolized by Dawn for a good length of time. She wanted Ash to tell his story to the world but Ash politely declined. Firstly, he didn't want the attention. Secondly, he had good reason to suspect that the world wouldn't believe him anyways. Lastly, he secretly enjoyed keeping all the glory to himself. Ash was glad when she eventually stopped idolizing him. He wanted to return to having a normal relationship with his new Sinnoh friend.

What he couldn't guess was that she would fall in love with him. It happened shortly after the idolization stage phased away, but Ash didn't really believe it at first and dismissed it as a form of respect. Only after Alamos did that change.

Many months ago

The battle was fierce. The attacks were coming from three legendary Pokemon. Dialga attacked everything in his way with Flash Cannon and Hyper Beams; Palkia used Aura Sphere and Aqua Tail on anything that seemed a threat; Darkrai used Dark Pulse and Dark Void on the two dragons. That was when it happened.

The aura sphere hit the balloon. Ash and the others were ascending to the Space-Time Tower when Palkia fired a pink sphere at them. Darkrai tried to stop the attack but Dialga was attacking the nightmare Pokemon; it stared helplessly as the shot crashed into the cabin. The railing was blasted off and Ash had to hold on with a fierce grip to stay inside.

Dawn wasn't so lucky. She screamed as she fell backwards. It seemed to happen in slow motion to Ash. He remembered reaching out to grab her hand, but she was an inch too far. Ash could only watch as she roughly landed on the edge of a platform. She screamed in agony and began to slide off the edge.

"Dawn! NO!" Ash screamed.

After that, he didn't remember what he did exactly. He vaguely remembered leaping out to reach her. She had just slipped off the edge when Ash dove towards her. Somehow, he managed to grab her while also gripping the edge of the platform. Ash struggled to hold her; the weight was pulling him down and his grip was starting to fail. Dawn was slipping from his grasp.

"Dawn, hold on. I'll save you." Ash spoke.

"No, Ash, let go of me." Dawn gasped with teary eyes. "I can't hold you, I think I broke something."

"I can't let go!" Ash cried out. "I won't let go!"

His grip was failing. As the battle raged on, Ash knew how hopeless the situation was. He was gonna have to let her go. He didn't have the strength. If he held on to her any longer, then he would fall too. He had to make a choice.

That was when something happened in Ash. Suddenly, he saw every moment he shared with Dawn. Memories flashed before his eyes; every moment he shared with her suddenly returned in an instant. Ash had to save her; he couldn't imagine what would happen if he didn't. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he pulled Dawn with a newfound strength. Only when he puled her to the ledge did he see his hands glowing a sapphire blue.

Somehow, in some way, he channeled aura.

Dawn, with great effort, managed to pull herself up to the ledge. Ash used both hands to pull himself over the cliff as well. He looked at his hands again but the light was gone. Ash looked at his friend with great concern. She was gasping through sobs as she tried to lean on her right side. She was having trouble breathing. The pain was too great and she slipped into unconsciousness. Ash's first response was panic. Only when he felt her soft breathing did he relax. He gently lifted her with both hands and looked into the sky. The balloon was slowly coming down. It had temporarily halted its ascent and returned to lower ground. Brock jumped from the cabin and landed next to Ash.

"Dawn's hurt!" Ash began with a desperate tone. "I know what I have to do but I'm…..I'm scared! What if she-"

"I'll guard her." Brock reassured him. "Just save Alamos Town or we all die."

"Brock you're….the best." Ash smiled weakly before handing him Dawn. He turned around quickly and ascended to the top of the tower. It took him a lot of time, more than he would have liked. He had to leap over gaps in the stairs, traverse against walls, and climb up platforms he couldn't reach with a simple jump. When he reached the top he was nearly exhausted. Everything after seemed dreamlike, like a blur. He managed to stop the crisis before passing out from sheer exhaustion.

When he returned to see Dawn, she was in a hospital room with several bandages attached to her side. Ash waited patiently for an hour before her eyes finally returned. It was so beautiful to him. Her eyelids gently stirred from their quiet resting places. Her two jewels opened themselves and shined in the still light.

"Ash." Dawn whispered. "Is that you?"

"I'm here, Dawn." Ash replied. She tried to push herself up but she felt a sharp pain in her side. She collapsed on the bed and Ash rushed to help her. "The doctor says you have a broken rib so take it easy. Thankfully, there wasn't much internal bleeding. The fracture should heal in less than a few weeks."

Dawn rested her head on the pillow and breathed softly. Ash could tell that something was up, because she was struggling to maintain eye contact. She almost looked nervous. If the injuries weren't upsetting her then what was?

"When I was asleep, I had a nightmare." She began.

Ash winced and took the statement in like a stab.

"In the dream, I was in a dark place…..there was nobody and it was…..lonely. I ran everywhere but I couldn't find anyone. I was terrified because I was worried I…..would never get to see you again." She paused for a moment before continuing. "But I realized that…that every moment I shared with you, were among the happiest moments…..in my life. Meeting you in Twinleaf was not an accident. It was fate. And meeting you was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. And when I traveled with you and….learned about how heroic and caring you are….I realized something. There is a reason that I felt so connected to you. There is a reason why I was terrified at the tough of not…..being…..with you." She was crying as she struggled to let out the last of her speech. "I….I…..I think I love you, Ash. I want to be with you. Together."

Present Time

That was how it happened. After Alamos, he confessed that he loved her as well, though he questioned whether it was true or not. Eventually, he realized that it was true. He did love her and he wanted to protect her. Thus he became her boyfriend. He thought his life couldn't get any better; that he could never love anyone else. Only time would tell.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden noise. The mirror started to warp; a purple vortex was spinning rapidly and something passed by in the background. A growing sense of fear gripped the group. Shaymin was the first to react.

"It's coming back!" He screamed with a nervous expression.

"This place is dangerous!" Ash spoke up. "Lets go!"

"Hey, I still don't know whats going on!" Brock protested.

"Wait wait wait, what about me! I can't run!" Shaymin screamed as the humans started to run away. Ash quickly turned around and threw the Pokemon inside his backpack. Before Shaymin could argue, Ash zipped it up and ran back to the others. He hoped Giratina would not be able to follow.

 **Thank God thats over. I did not enjoy writing this chapter, but I hope its good for some backstory. In case your wondering, Ash has become an Aura knight, but he is not as powerful as Sir Aaron, at least not yet. Despite this, Ash has trained in his abilities and has good knowledge of aura, not weak or strong, just good. Good=Average. Hope that clarifies things, and I know this chapter was a little boring, but hey, the next one will have more action. Until then, see you around.**

 **Remember PM me and review review REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7 On the Run

Chapter 7 On the Run

Somewhere Mysterious

Zero sat in his chair and watched the screen in front of him. It gave a holographic map of two dimensions. The bottom was a red plane with a large red object swaying around a vortex. Above it was a blue plane that showed more numerous smaller dots. Each dot or object represented a living creature. The map made sense in that the blue plane would hold many different creatures, human or Pokemon. The red plane was devoid of sentient organisms except one; Giratina. The vortex that divided the two dimensions would expand when Giratina attempted to surface. Zero had learned that after the encounter with Dialga, Giratina had been unable to leave the reverse world. Yet the charts beside map screen showed several spikes in dimensional activity. Zero was not often perplexed. He was a man of high intellect; he was once a scientist in the world community. There has to be a reason for this, he thought to himself.

Dialga? He asked himself. That would be a likely explanation. It was Giratina's target after all. Giratina had tried to trap it in the reverse world. There was only one way to know.

"Infi, how many times has Giratina surfaced?" He asked.

"Just twice." the holographic figure answered.

"And was Dialga nearby?"

"Negative, if Dialga is around its outside the radars field."

"Thank you, Infi." Zero nodded.

"Of course."

Zero started his train of thought again. He thought of every possible explanation for Giratina's actions. Giratina was clearly not after Dialga. What else besides revenge would the Renegade Pokemon want?

"Wait." He said aloud. "Revenge…..Infi, replay the battle from this morning."

"As you wish." Infi replied before playing the footage.

It showed Giratina battling Dialga. He watched every moment from stop to finish. It was near the end that Zero ordered the video to be paused. In the still moment, Giratina was preparing to release a massive fireball at Dialga in what would have been an instant kill. When he played the footage like normal, it showed a massive burst of light and Giratina flying back. When he paused it, however, it showed a key image that would otherwise be overlooked. In the shot was a third Pokemon, a glowing green light amongst the grass. In slow footage it showed the Pokemon unleashing an attack that cancelled Giratina's fireball. This Pokemon interfered with Giratina's plan and did something devastating. In the shot, it showed the Griseous orb cracking.

"That explains why Giratina was trapped." Zero said aloud. "The griseous orb being damaged prevented the dragon from leaving the reverse world. The Pokemon in the picture would be sought out because of….revenge." It all made sense. But one thing was missing. Who's that Pokemon?

"Infi, scan all sources and determine the Pokemon's identity." Zero commanded. The man knew that his holographic assistant was perfect. Never questioned any orders; never disobeyed directives; always got the job done. Zero appreciated her because she was able to make his plans possible. Make his plans perfect. After a quick search the Pokemon was discovered. The creature was exceptionally rare, which wasn't surprising because it was a legendary. Which meant that it wouldn't be hard to find. "Infi, lets scan the surrounding area. Deploy the Magnamite and await my orders."

"As you wish." Infi nodded before executing his commands with perfection.

He waited for several minutes. Zero was a patient man. He knew that Infi would not fail him. Within minutes, he had a visual. The Magnamite had small cameras attached to them; they could cover great distances. Infi also took the time to hack into the security network while Zero watched from his chair. The move was most productive. He saw three humans, one boy, an older male, and a girl. They had several Pokemon among them. But it was not the Piplup that interested him nor was it the Pikachu. It was the third Pokemon. It hugged the ground and was covered in a green coat with two petals on its sides.

Zero grinned. "So you're what this is all about. With you, I get one step closer to kingship." He knew that he was close to success. With a simple capture, he would have something that Giratina would want. Bait. And with the bait, he would cast out for a monster who would seize it. It could work.

No. It would work, he corrected himself. He got out of his chair and strode towards the exit with powerful strides. "Infi, take over."

"Be careful. I await you're return."

* * *

Ten'i Village

Ash and the others strolled through the park, with vigilant eyes scanning the area. Dawn and Brock were talking about the previous events while Ash's thoughts dwelled on what he should do. If Giratina was indeed after Shaymin as Newton said then he was in danger along with all the others who were near the Gratitude Pokemon. Yet strangely, he felt some sort of need to help it. The reasoning could not be called logical or practical even. It was something that had been a part of him for all of his life.

A need to help others.

He always did in the past. _Sure, there were a few times in which I put myself in danger, but I always ended up fine in the end both physically and mentally,_ Ash reminded himself. Even when he practically sacrificed himself to save his friends, he never hesitated to do anything necessary, including self sacrifice. Some would call his actions childish or even outright stupid, but this was one of Ash's defining characteristics. That and a willpower to fight until he claimed victory or tasted the effects of defeat.

Clearly there was no argument that he would do anything to protect his friends. He protected Pikachu from the Spearow when he was ten years old; he had jumped in front of Mewtwo's Psychic on New Island; he nearly died trying to save the world from Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres when he was in the Orange Archipelago; and he nearly died in Hoenn while retrieving the crystal in the Temple of the Sea. All of those times it was to save his friends or Pokemon.

 _But why am helping someone he had just met?_ He asked.

He pushed it aside and kept walking.

"Giratina? Reverse World guardian? Man, would have loved to see that?" Brock stated.

"Are you kidding? It nearly blew us up with fireballs!" Dawn said incredulously.

"Yeah, but still."

"Uh, Shaymin, where are we going now?" Ash asked. 'Shaymin?"

The realization that it was still in his backpack suddenly came full force. At first, Ash thought that the Pokemon had fallen out. A heavy weight in the bag reassured him that the Pokemon was still present with the travelers. Though he doubted it was pleased. It didn't take long for there to be confirmation.

Upon opening the bag, he was immediately blinded by what appeared to be an exploding seed. Ash was blasted backwards and fell hard onto the grassy terrain around the sidewalk. He coughed and gasped as he struggled to his feet, only to see a pissed off Shaymin glaring at him from his bag. The others just laughed at him: even Pikachu. Ash didn't feel like getting the indignant Pokemon even more upset

"Okay before you decide to pound me with another round of Seed Bombs, let me just say that I totally deserved that explosion."

"Yes, you did, you dumbass! Did you just forget about me?"

"Well...yeah. Sorry." Ash admitted. "You stopped moving and I just associated you with the weight of the backpack, I guess. How come you didn't squirm or nudge my back or something like that?"

"What do you think I have been doing for the last ten minutes!? Just sitting for the ride!? I decided that you were simply not gonna notice me so I decided to wait for you to remember. Then, when you open up the bag, KABOOM!" Upon saying this Shaymin unleashed a Seed Bomb straight at Ash, who barely dodged the attack.

"Wait wait wait. Shaymin, can I do something for you so that you forget about this?"

"Screw that! Keep up the good work, Shaymin." Dawn laughed. "I've wanted to do that for months."

"Dawn, thats not helping! Shaymin, please. I will be nice. I'll let you jump on my head again."

Shaymin sat there for a moment before taking the offer and leaping up onto Ash's head. The boy flinched at first but realized what that the deal was in his benefit. The mentality must have been, carry me on your head, or I will shoot you. Whatever the case, Ash clearly didn't mind. _Better to get an additional weight than an additional wound_ , he thought.

"Anyway, which way now?" Ash asked again.

"Well, if we are heading in the same direction as before, I suppose the Flower Garden is-"

The Gratitude Pokemon was cut off by a loud screeching sound. Several Magnamite appeared from nowhere and suddenly descended on the humans and their respective Pokemon. They all used Metal Sound, which caused the affected targets to cover their ears and wince from the harsh noise. Ash managed to take a peak to see that there were many different Magnamite along with a couple Magnaton. High above, a larger Pokemon levitated. It was shaped like a flat dome and it had two large eyes on opposite ends. There was also a red orb in the center and a large antenna on the top of the steel frame. The most striking features however were the two large magnets hanging underneath the eyes. They gave the impression of built in cannons, and Ash didn't need proof that they could inflict severe damage.

Above the Pokemon, a tall man in a yellow suit descended towards the humans. He rode what seemed to be a levitating platform. A large control stick was allowing the man to control the strange device and it seemed very maneuverable despite its bulky appearance. Whatever the case, the sudden appearance of this man and his Pokemon startled the trainers. They immediately got tense and began to prepare for the imminent confrontation.

"Before any of this gets out of hand, I will make my request only once. Hand Shaymin over, immediately." The man spoke with confidence. The now popular legendary tensed. Why did this man want him all of the sudden. He didn't remember him from any of his experiences. Could he be connected to Giratina? He didn't know.

"Who are you? What do you want with Shaymin?" Dawn yelled to the mysterious man.

"That is irrelevant." the man replied. "That Shaymin belongs to me."

"He what?" Ash yelled. "Shaymin?"

"I don't know what the hell he is talking about? I have never seen this guy in my life!"

"Are you sure?"

"Huh, oh wait I do remember him. The guy who rides a hover-board and wears a yellow jumpsuit and commands an army of steel types!? I couldn't have possibly forgot about that!" Shaymin yelled with clear sarcasm.

"Well how should I know who you have encountered" Ash countered.

The man didn't waste anymore time. He gave a hand gesture and his massive steel type came forward. "Magnazone, mirror shot!" The Pokemon began to charge a silver sphere over the red orb and Ash immediately reacted.

"Pikachu, counter with thunderbolt!" Sure enough, Ash's electric mouse sent a swarm of sparks at the Mirror shot and negated the attack. An explosion occurred and the Magnamite around the heroes were blasted away and temporarily disoriented.

"Here is our chance, go!" Ash commanded. The group began to run towards the alley between the nearby buildings. Shaymin clung to Ash's head and watched as the Magnamite began to regain focus. Dawn noticed too and gave a quick command.

"Piplup, whirlpool!" The blue penguin formed a whirlpool above its mouth and the vortex flew towards the steel types. The attack only held them off for a short moment, but it gave the heroes a chance to get away. They ran to the darkness as the Magnamite began to follow. Zero flew next to Magnazone and gave a command that it wouldn't dare disobey.

"Follow them. I want Shaymin alive." The steel type gave a quick response before speeding away as Zero grinned in the distance.

* * *

Ash ran with all his might. The Pokemon above him struggled to stay on but he was flopping up and down with discomfort. Pikachu ran alongside Ash's sprinting legs. They were fleeing. From what, they didn't know. But the sounds of the Magnamite in the distance were enough reason.

"This isn't gonna work!" Dawn screamed as the distant hum began to morph into a drone. "We need an escape plan!"

"Working on it!" Ash replied as he increased his already fast sprint. He looked past all the doors and buildings. The doors were locked and even with his best efforts, he would not be able to sneak inside. He also didn't want to put anyone else in danger. No he was forced to run.

But how much farther could they run. More importantly, to where.

Within moments, they had left the darker alley and were in a public square. Townsfolk walked with innocent ease. Children laughed as they ran by their relaxed parents; shoppers prepared for the dull walk home; workers took the time to rest, or adversely, return to work. Ash hated how unprepared any of these people were for the coming storm. When the Magnamite appeared, it wouldn't be long before others were endangered. He hoped that he had lost his pursuers. He hoped that the danger would pass.

He was horribly mistaken.

The peaceful setting in front of him was suddenly blinded by an intense flash of light. They all stared in shock as a ball of fire emerged from above. Sharp gasps were followed by frightened screams. Some of those screams became painful wails. The explosion occurred right in front of their eyes. Nobody, not even the escaped heroes, could have known what was about to occur. The brick floor around the flash became blackened and sheared by the flare.

Ash looked up to see the source. The many buildings in the Ten'i village were covered with many windows. The large walls reflecting the sun or being faint enough to show what was occurring inside. However, all that could be seen now was red holes. Blazing red holes that came directly from the mirrors. Several large spheres began to roll out, one after another, until they struck the ground and anything on it.

"Fireballs," he realized with dread. "Giratina's fireballs." The implications became severe. Ash took Newtons advice, but never realized what it meant. Anything glass, mirrors, windows, or anything else that gave a serious reflection, was a gate to the real world. A way for Giratina to kill.

Most of the survivors stared with a stunned silence at the phenomenon. One, however, stared at the victims. His victims. About ten people, all youthful, crawled from where the blast struck home. They were burned, severely. Some of their backs were ablaze and these people screamed in utter agony. Many had their hair being seared, or worst, completely burnt off. One child was standing alone and watching the scene in front of him with fear. The next moment, the boy was knocked to his side after screaming a wail of pain. When the light cleared, the damage was visible. His forehead was a black and white stump, his eyes were almost draining down his cheeks, his ears were charred and swelled, and his lower mouth was scarred beyond repair. Shaymin realized with terror that his face had been melted off. Many others were like this as well, or suffered similar injuries. Shaymin wanted to scream at the victims before him. He couldn't take his eyes off the horrible sight. He shook uncontrollably and began to hyperventilate at the dead and dying bodies. When more fireballs fell from the sky, more people were caught in destructive blasts. More people began to die.

All around. People suddenly died.

The scene became one of sheer panic. People ran to any source of safety. The Magnamite began to appear again but they were surprised by the sudden fires that began to rage where people once were. Ash and the others knew that despite how horrible the situation was, it was also an opening. A chance to get away. Shaymin nearly flew off as Ash jerked his head towards a rail station. A silver train was preparing to leave from the sudden chaos and Ash knew he had to flee on it. The train was slowly advancing but once it started to travel, it wouldn't be long before it became impossible to follow at normal running pace. A rear storage door had remained open in the chaos. It would have to do, Ash thought. He ran hard and managed to leap inside, with Shaymin barely clinging onto his head. The green Pokemon was still hyperventilating from the assault. All around, screams echoed. Each wail struck his very soul and he was nearly petrified with terror. He watched as Pikachu, leaped inside, followed by Brock. He almost feeling a sense of hope when he saw it. Dawn had reached for the train. Her hand had grabbed the edge of the door.

But then she fell. She must have hit a stone, or a loose tile, or worse the train was too fast to keep up with. She disappeared behind the terrible wall of grey. Everyone inside the storage car screamed her name in desperation, but Shaymin was finally horrified beyond anything he imagined. He had caused Dawn to be in danger. He had caused all this to happen, he thought with terror. Now she was...left behind. He lost sensitivity to touch and he fell weakly off Ash's head and onto the train deck. He didn't even look up at the trainer he once rested on. He barely was aware of him when the trainer suddenly dashed outside of the train and into the town.

Ash Ketchum couldn't comprehend what happened. But one thing was certain. He was in a dangerous situation, and Dawn was being left behind in that dangerous situation. He had to rescue her before the train became too fast, which it may have already been. He could only focus on one thing. And that was rescuing Dawn; rescuing the one he loved. He saw her fallen form and accelerated to an even faster pace. When she saw him, she couldn't react before he picked her up and began to run back to the train. Ash's thoughts drifted to her.

"HANG ON!" Ash screamed as he ran faster. His will becoming his strength. He was enveloped in a blue aura as he ran at speeds that would normally be considered impossible. He became a blur and managed to race alongside the moving train. He saw the only opening he would possibly have. He leaped into the open door and crashed into onto the wooden floor. He turned around to see Brock slam the door shut as the train became fully underway.


	8. Chapter 8 A Dangerous Game

**Wow, never thought I would get this far. Last chapter was pretty dark. Still, I hunk my new story is coming along rather nicely. I'd like to thank, so far, my only reviewer, thor94. Thanks for your input. With that, lets get underway.**

 **P.S. I think that the 4th wall breakers are gone, for now. Lets see how long that remains.**

Chapter 8: A Dangerous Game

Ten'i Village

The scene looked like the remains of a war torn city. Craters rested in several areas of ground. Much the the brick walkway was charred or melted. The fires had long since been extinguished, and the fire control teams had removed the wounded, the dead, and the charred remains of what were once living people. The scene was deserted. Law enforcement and other agencies just didn't know what to do. In their mostly dull careers they had never experienced anything like this! They could do nothing except follow protocol.

The town was evacuated.

Save one. Zero took his hover cart and flew around the blast zone with scanning eyes. He didn't have any concern as to whether or not someone found him in the city. His focus was primarily on the surrounding area. The scene was surprising, but not alarming. He didn't show much, if any, concern for the people afflicted by this attack, which he assumed had been the work of a dragon. A very large, very powerful, very angry, legendary dragon. How Giratina attacked these people had been a mystery, but he would discover the reason in time.

His Magnazone and the surrounding Magnamite army swept the area. Every window was looked into, every door was opened, and every stone was unturned. Despite this, he found nothing. No matter where he went throughout the village, Shaymin would not be found. For that matter, the trainers who accompanied the Pokemon had disappeared as well, he reminded himself.

They would not be foolish enough to stay with the villagers, he thought with certainty. He theorized that they must have escaped from the attack and the ensuring fire. He looked around when he saw it. The charred remains of what had once been a train station.

* * *

Somewhere in Sinnoh

Ash held Dawn close as the train continued on its course. They were all very shaken by the previous incident. Giratina was targeting them in a way that nothing else had ever done before. Ash didn't know what to do besides comfort his girlfriend and hope for the best. There was little more he could do anyways. Brock was occupied breaking any mirrors inside the train cabin that had any significant size. Pikachu and Piplup both huddled next to each other with nervous expressions.

Shaymin, meanwhile, was extremely quiet. He never made eye contact with anyone. He couldn't bring himself to. He was dwelling on the children. Their moans. Their wails. Their pleas. He shook his head violently to try to shake out the memories. He wanted to forget. He didn't want to hold onto the painful burden.

"Those people." Dawn whispered as she embraced Ash's stronger figure, "They were dying. They were-

"Shhhhh, its okay. What's important is that you are safe. Nothing is gonna happen to any of us."

"But what about those kids. They were all alone."

To this Ash didn't know how to answer. He realized that the people left behind were hurt. And some where...dead, he admitted. While he hated to use that word, he wouldn't deny the truth. Some people were dead. Could Giratina had really killed them all? he asked himself. The thought terrified him, nearly as much as it terrified Shaymin.

"What if it follows us?" Dawn asked with a frightened expression.

The boy felt a little nervous but he quickly recovered his resolve. This was a question Ash could answer. He stroked Dawn's gentle face and she brightened a little. "Then your boyfriends gonna fight right alongside you."

Dawn relaxed further and let go of Ash. She looked back at the door with newfound resolve. As long as they were together, they would be okay, she told herself. "Your the best, Ash."

"I try." Ash replied with a small smile.

About an hour passed and they managed to let the time fly. During that time, Brock was looking around the room for anything that would tell him where they were going and where they were now. Ash and Dawn engaged in conversation and they tried to put the previous events behind them. After a while, it seemed to work and this was slightly confirmed with Brock's announcement.

"Okay." Broke spoke up. "I broke any mirrors that could possibly be problematic, and while I still don't know where we are, I have a feeling we are heading somewhere far from here. Whatever the case we should be okay. Though for now, we should stay put. We still have no idea what else could happen."

"Yeah, thats probably true, but," Ash began. "We never really ate breakfast, and I'm kinda hungry. Got any food."

"What do you want, Pancakes." Brock grinned slightly.

"That would be awesome!"

"Well your gonna have to settle for this." Brock said as he reached into his backpack. He pulled out a granola bar and tossed it to Ash. The boy looked at it with slight disappointment, but figured that he was lucky to be alive so he ate it. Brock and Dawn also fed themselves and their Pokemon as Ash got a second. Shaymin didn't notice and didn't dare speak up. He didn't know what terms he was on after the attack at the station. He wasn't hungry anyway.

As Brock zipped up his backpack he had a question on his mind. "Hey, Ash, how did you exactly get on the train. I can't imagine that you ran. When you jumped, we must have been going over thirty miles an hour.

"Um, you know how some Pokemon can use...extremespeed? Well, that might have had something to do with it."

"I mean, I know you can you use aura but I never thought that you could do that!" Brock replied with some astonishment.

"I don't remember you ever doing that before." Dawn spoke up.

"I'm thinking that maybe it had to do with the stress of the situation. Maybe you falling out of the train triggered something intense in my mind and then it just...happened." Ash explained, though became a little embarrassed after speaking his thoughts so freely. He looked at Dawn and saw that she was blushing a little. "Whatever the case," he stammered, "We made it."

"No argument there." Brock replied.

"Thanks, Ash." Dawn whispered as she moved alongside him. Ash smiled and let out a sigh of slight relief.

That relief wouldn't last long.

Above them, was a small boxed intercom that was normally used by the conductor during the train ride. At first, it was ignored. This immediately changed when a loud piercing sound began to screech out of the speakers. When the sound ceased, a familiar vile voice came through. Ash and the others tensed as the villainous box continued with an announcement. Unfortunately, this announcement was going to become an ultimatum.

* * *

A few minutes earlier

Further up the train, a man was sitting on a bench. He wore a brown trench coat and dark brown pants. His hair was combed straight and it arched over his stern head. His fingers tapped the cushioning as his eyes fell on the beautiful landscape. All around him, trees rushed by the windows and the mountains created an incredible background. It looked like he was reading a photographers journal up close.

He also noticed other passengers around him. There was a young couple, a small family with several kids running around, a big woman reading a map, a few men talking about something on TV, and several others. Looker was keeping to himself and he didn't attract a ton of attention, save for one man who decided to sit next to him. He looked calm and smiled cheerfully.

"Hell of a ride, eh?" The man asked. "Names Evan."

"Uh, John." Looker greeted.

'So, where you headed?" Evan asked.

"Jubilife." Looker replied honestly. Evan smiled and seemed slightly surprised.

"Your the city type, eh? You a business man?"

"Something like that. Jubilife is where I need to head. Got a dispute between corporate executives that I need to handle. Also, I may end up having to disprove a claim made by the opposing corporation."

"Sounds like fun." Evan replied with clear sarcasm. Looker watched as the man fiddled with his buttoned shirt and smiled ahead. How naive he was, Looker thought.

The corporate executives he was evaluating was Team Galactic. While they claimed to be devoted scientists aimed at making a better world, Looker was among the few who questioned the validity of such a claim. More often than not, these corporations were corrupt and focused more on self gain than public charity. Looker was telling Evan the truth of what he was doing, from a certain point of view. What he didn't say, was that he was an international police agent who was investigating possible criminal activity in the Team Galactic Jubilife Division. While they ensure the authorities that they are not taking part in any such activity, Looker couldn't help but wonder how credible these "scientists" were.

In these days, it was hard to know the difference between the good scientists and the ambitious ones.

"So, where you heading?" Looker finally asked.

"Towards Eterna. Thats where I call home." Evan replied. "Nice little place."

"Indeed." Looker nodded. The man started to look out his window as Evan continued to talk about his hometown. He was getting bored, and figured that he couldn't pay attention to every single detail. He was feeling quite calm when he saw a lone Magnamite fly by his window. He saw several more and a Magnaton come by as well. His interest peaked when he saw even more come by. It looked like a small swarm. The sun was shining and reflecting off the steel bodies and Looker was actually feeling captivated by the sudden sight. Evan didn't really seem to notice and Looker felt pleased.

Until the Magnazone flew by.

It was at this point that Looker was sensing that something was wrong. A couple Magnaton floating by were one thing. They weren't completely uncommon and it made sense that they would be together. Electric types always stick together. However, Magnazone almost never come down to lower altitudes unless something strange was happening. Another theory, was that these Pokemon were not wild at all, but rather, the trained Pokemon of a trainer. This implication was severe. There must have been over thirty Pokemon outside; if they all belonged to a single trainer, it was a considerably threatening force.

Before Looker could think further, he saw that the men were complaining about the television set. It was static and their sport, whatever it was they were watching, was not seen on the monitor. The anger turned to shock when a mysterious figure appeared on the set. His hair was white and spiked, and his eyes grinned with fierce determination. The man began to speak.

"Today, you are all going to be witnesses to a very special gathering. My name is Zero, and you don't know me yet, but rest assured, you soon will. Right now, you may notice the many Magnamite and Magnaton swarming about this train. Let me assure you, these are not wild. They are mine. Right here, and right now, I am capable to sending you all to a quick and cataclysmic doom. Should I command it, I will order my steel army to use Magnet Rise on your train, lift you off the railing, and order my Pokemon to release the train."

Everyone who was listening was in shock. Looker himself realized that this man was not joking about any of this. The normally peaceful train ride had escalated into a deadly game with a dangerous man. Some people shivered, some clenched their fists, Looker stared at the face of this enemy with determination.

"You are probably asking yourselves, why I am doing this. You see, I am a scientist and I have some very bold plans. However, in order to make these plans come true, I need your assistance. I'm sure, some of you understand the extent of damage that occurred in Ten'i Village almost an hour ago. That was the work of this creature."

A screen lit up and it showed the picture of a large dragon type Pokemon. The creature looked malicious and evil and there were several whimpers and gasps from the passengers. "This creature is called Giratina. It is powerful, stealthy, and above all else dangerous. In order to find and hopefully capture this creature, I will need a certain Pokemon returned to me."

A second image popped up. This one showed a small green Pokemon that looked strangely familiar. Looker swore that he read about this Pokemon in an intelligence report. When he did was a mystery, but it was clear that this Pokemon was rare. "This Pokemon is called Shaymin, and it belongs to me alone. Unfortunately, a group of insubordinates have unrightfully hidden this creature from me on your train." Three faces appeared on the screen and Zero continued with his announcement.

"You will heed to my command and find this Pokemon and return it to me. You have an hour to complete this task. Any sympathy shown towards this Pokemon and/or the trainers associated with it will be a direct defiance to my command. When the hour expires I blow up your train. If, however, you give up Shaymin to me I will leave you in peace. The question now is this. What is more valuable? Are you going to save yourselves by compiling to this honorable request or are you going to become selfless martyrs? The choice is yours. But do note, this train is completely under my control. Any of you try to flee, the train explodes. Any of you try to decrease speed, the train explodes. If any of you try to attack my forces, the train explodes! You will continue your course during your hour of either compliance or resistance, and as for your conductor...will not be joining us during that time." With this he laughed like a maniac and the passengers became clearly frightened. Looker tensed as he realized that the conductor had not been taken prisoner. He was an example.

"As a final note for the three trainers safeguarding my Shaymin, this last announcement is for you. You might want to make a decision quickly. If you try to delay time and hide from the crew I am certain that those said passengers will not be quite so sympathetic to your cowardice. You may want to make a decision first before the crew makes a decision for you. The timer is counting, and your hour begins. Now."

With that the screen faded to black and a long silence hit the many cabins on the train. The clock had started to tick.

 **Wow, I can't believe I wrote all that. I'll be honest, I got some inspiration from the Dark Knight when writing this. As for Looker, I thought he would be fun to have for these next few scenes. Enjoy and be prepared.**


	9. Chapter 9 A Growing Intensity

**Oh, boy. We are really building suspense aren't we? I'm really excited for these next few chapters. Theres even a chance that I might be able to post an additional chapter after a few days, but we'll see. I'd like to thank thor94; your reviews have been helpful and I appreciate your input. I also am pleased to say that I have 3 favorites and 4 followers for this story. That isn't much but it means that people are at least reading this. Also, make sure to read the afterword below when you finish with this chapter. With that all said, lets continue.**

 **Shaymin: You guys are awesome.**

 **Ash: Thanks for reading.**

 **Me: And get ready for Chapter 9. Here we go.**

Chapter 9: A Growing Intensity

Storage Train (Forty nine minutes till zero.)

The storage cabin had been in heated discussion. Ash and the two other trainers conversed about what course of action should be taken. While not completely adamant to a specific idea, Ash was supportive of an aggressive response to Zero and his demands. Brock was calmer than he was and called for a more passive response. Dawn stood somewhere in the middle, with slight leaning towards Ash. What would be done depended entirely on whether or not the humans were willing to surrender the legendary Pokemon they were acquainted with. Throughout the entire eleven minutes of discussion, Shaymin never spoke. Brock began listing the three possible plans as to what they could do. They all listened attentively.

"As I see it we have three options." Brock began. "Plan A is leaving the train. This doesn't save anyone except us, but it does give us a chance to get help and bring down Zero."

"We can't just run!" Dawn exclaimed before lowering her voice. "That will put everyone in serious danger."

"Whats Plan B?" Ash asked.

"Plan B is that we agree to Zero's demands and hand Shaymin over. This could save the people on the train and possibly end all conflicts with Zero, but we have no idea what would happen to Shaymin."

"Plan B is basically appeasement!" Ash angrily interrupted. "Plan B is basically letting Zero win."

"I'm just stating our options. This brings us to Plan C" Brock said calmly. "Plan C is that we risk the lives of the passengers and attack Zero's Magnamite and attempt to save everyone while still keeping Shaymin with us."

"I like Plan C." Ash exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Yes it is the best but only if if if we can stop the Magnamite." Brock explained. "Its our most risky option by far."

"I still think we should choose Plan C, we can't abandon these people but we also can't give up Shaymin. Plan C seems to do this."

"Well Brock does make a good point in that Plan C has the most improbable rate of success." Dawn admitted. "We need to decide what we do carefully."

"We've gotten ourselves out of dangerous situations before." Ash said rather bluntly with determination on his face.

"Yeah, but I'm not concerned about ourselves." Dawn replied. "I'm concerned about the other passengers."

Ash bowed his head slightly as he understood that she had a point. Even though they were experienced, this train had many innocent people on board, possibly children. He couldn't risk them so easily without serious consideration. Five years ago, he probably would have done something rash, and in all probability, be dead by now. He had matured and he realized that while he didn't like it, he had to be realistic. And that meant possibly negotiating with a madman, if he didn't end up negotiating with the threatened passengers first.

"So lets review." Brock began once again. "Plan A is that we lose everyone on the train but we have a chance to stop Zero together. Plan B gives Shaymin up but could save everyone else. Finally, Plan C tries to save both the passengers and Shaymin but could end up killing everyone instead."

"Theres a fourth option." Shaymin interrupted suddenly. Everyone turned to the Pokemon to hear a new proposition. It became apparent that he had never spoken since they had gone on board. They silenced their words and thoughts and listened attentively. "The three of you abandon the train and attempt to contact the authorities or stop Zero on your own." The trainers looked shocked to hear that it so far excluded itself from the plan. They feared asking what he had in mind for himself, no matter how obvious it seemed. Finally, one of them spoke up.

"What about you?" Dawn asked nervously.

Shaymin sighed before giving his response. Five words of absolute determination. Five words that showed both guilt and certainty. "And I turn myself in."

"No, Shaymin, no!" Ash screamed. "You can't!"

"Stop it, Ash!" Shaymin replied with fierceness. They never heard Shaymin talk with such intimidation before and Ash and Dawn stepped back a little. He was giving an order, and it was frightening. "Nobody here is going to die! Not for me!"

"Shaymin, what are you talking about?" Dawn asked. The Pokemon didn't wait to respond.

"Those people in the village have been killed!" He replied angrily. "That is what I am talking about! Giratina came for me, and those people were his victims! I do not plan on repeating that here onboard this train!"

"But Shaymin, if Zero captures you, think of what could happen." Dawn spoke up. "Giratina could find you and something bad might occur. You won't be able to get to the Flower Garden. You won't be able to meet your-"

"None of that is important now!" Shaymin snapped.

Taken back, the trainers looked at him with both stunned and confused expressions. "None of that matters?" Ash asked. "But...we took you here...we thought you needed us...thats why were in this with you. It was all for nothing?" Ash asked with a hint of anger. A voice was growing in his head. _He deceived you. Dawn almost died because of him,_ he told himself. _Those people are dead because of him. Now he's telling you it was all for nothing. How dare he?"_ Ash clenched his fists and began to sleep forward. Ash Ketchum, the boy who normally was caring to Pokemon, snapped.

"Why you!" He was held back by Dawn and Brock who kept him from taking out his anger on the grass type. The other Pokemon cowered as Ash began to get angry. Shaymin looked shocked and began to charge multiple Magical leaves for self defense. "WE ALMOST DIED FOR YOU! MY GIRLFRIEND WAS NEARLY KILLED BECAUSE OF YOU! NONE OF IT MATTERS? YOU DON'T MATTER!"

"ASH STOP IT!" Brock and Dawn screamed in unison. The boy squirmed but try as he might he could not break free of the firm grip of his friends. Eventually he managed to calm down enough to start arguing with them and not the Pokemon.

"You heard what he said. None of it is important. He lied to us!" Ash yelled.

"No, Ash, he didn't." Dawn yelled back.

"Why that little green bush is gonna pay. I'll hand him over to Zero myself if I don't kill him first-"

Ash was silenced by a rather powerful slap to the face. He stumbled backwards and fell against the walls of the storage cabin. Dawn looked angry but she also was looking hurt. Ash's expression changed from anger to shock. The realization of his outburst came back full force and he didn't feel good at all. Dawn, while shocked at her own power, continued to argue with newfound authority.

"Shaymin, didn't intend for any of this to happen!" She screamed. "He just wanted a little help and we were being nice, because that is who we are. We don't care about ourselves! If we did, then explain where we are right now? Taking your anger out on him is not going to help us. We need to work together. We can't change the past, but we can decide our future as well as the futures of everyone here."

Ash stood there as Dawn finished her own little outburst. He knew she was right. _Shaymin is not guilty_ , he told himself. He himself was feeling guilty for his actions and wished he could take back what he said. He glanced down to see that Shaymin was watching Dawn with a warm expression; her defense of the legendary was greatly appreciated. He only glanced at Ash and the look was hard and strong. The charging Magical leaves stopped and hid themselves into his grass-like fur. He then glanced to Brock with a neutral expression, awaiting for the continuation of discussion.

"If we are quite through, lets decide our course of action." Brock began once again. "Time is of the essence."

"No argument there." Ash said glumly as further discussion began.

* * *

Passenger cabins (32 minutes until zero)

Looker had been amazed at how quickly the passengers began to become aggressive. After the shock had ended, there had been many bold statements made such as, "We can't sacrifice ourselves for this! A Pokemon?" and "We don't deserve to die!" _Does anyone,_ Looker asked himself. The one smart thing that happened was that the women and children were relocated to separate cabins farther up the train. Whether or not it kept them safe was questionable, but it didn't matter. It calmed them all down and allowed the makeshift "squads" to move around the train in search of the three teenagers and the Pokemon, Shaymin. He hadn't revealed his identity to anyone, he wasn't trusting any with such valuable information, so he had no choice but to comply to the masses. There was no clear leader, even though Evan acted like he was in charge. Amazing how his personality seemed to change so quickly. He was once the friendly lighthearted passenger; now he was the gruff leader of the "search squad."

"We're gonna head to the back of the train, near the storage. Thats the only place that hasn't been swept." He said with sense of authority. _He seems to like his new power position_ , Looker told himself.

"At least the women and kids are safe." Evan said to Looker.

"Your idea of safe is not the same as mine." Looker replied. Evan gave a weak smile as he and some of the other men came to a door marked, Cabin 8. He and the others entered the room and began to lift open crates, pull off sheets, and look in every inch and corner. No matter what they did, they would not be found.

"Nothing here." Evan said with disgust. Where the hell are they?" Looker knew that if these kids were smart they wouldn't reveal themselves. _Yet,_ he reminded himself. Once they did find these kids, Looker figured he might have to reveal his cover to keep the angry mob from harassing them. They were only teenagers after all. He didn't think Evan would share the same view. When they moved on to Cabin 9, Looker wanted to step in first, but Evan beat him to it.

The room was dimly lit and the rocking of the train didn't help matters. _It looked clean_ , Looker thought. He walked around, his footsteps echoing off the wooden floorboards. He began to sweep the room; his eyes scanned the area for any movement. His years of being an agent had prepared him to be attentive. No stone was left unturned. The others were less subtle in their searching. Their eyes were piercing through the room, like hungry vultures.

Evan was busily ordering others to looker harder. Looker could sense it, the anger. _No,_ Looker corrected himself. _He is not angry, he's scared. It won't be long before either he or someone else snaps._ Looker continued looking. He wanted to find something, anything that looked strange. However, like many detectives, he realized he was overlooking. He was looking at something too deeply.

He was scanning for a clue when the answer was in plain sight.

He eyed a large brown crate. The top was slightly ajar and he walked towards it. Evan seemed to get the same idea and he looked at it as well. The stubborn man beat him too it and he was scanning the sides and the air around it. Then, ever so subtly, he began to move the lid.

* * *

Somewhere hidden (28 minutes till zero.)

Ash was filled with unbearable tension; a growing intensity that threatened to break out and scream. Being so cramped in a tight space was problematic. He felt like he was either rubbing against Dawn or rubbing against Brock. He also considered the unpleasant possibility that he might accidentally crush one of the Pokemon in the crate. Dawn was holding Piplup so that wasn't a problem. Shaymin was hiding in Ash's backpack, ironically, and was thankfully bot being a disturbance. The Pokemon that worried him was Pikachu. The electric mouse has been known to do things when uncomfortable. The last thing Ash needed was for his starter to let out a discharge of electricity and make his presence known to everyone.

While still frustrated at the current situation, he was grateful to have acted fast enough to hide. He barely heard the voices and he instinctively hid himself in the first thing he could find. His only regret was that his hiding spot was a little too obvious.

The wooden walls of the crate were too thick to see through, which was both a blessing and a curse. It was bad in that he had no way of knowing how close the outsiders were to him and his friends; it was good in that he was invisible as well.

But for how long?

He could feel the footsteps of a large man. His boots echoed off the floorboards and Ash tensed even more, barely suppressing a gasp. He could almost feel the hands of the man brushing against the still face of the crate. Then it passed by, as if nothing happened. For a long while there was nothing. Nothing but the stillness of the air. Even with a few voices on the outside, the crate was silent.

It was dreadful, the waiting. The unknowing of what would occur. Ash never thought he would be so scared of the average everyday people. He realized that the average everyday person that didn't expect to be put in a hostage situation.

 _"If you try to delay time and hide from the crew I am certain that those said passengers will not be quite so sympathetic to your cowardice."_

Those words seemed to keep ringing and repeating in his brain. It was becoming a reality that the average man had become his worst enemy. If they found him and the others, Ash knew that all of their lives could be in jeopardy.

A noise.

His eyes, as well as everyone else's, widened as they saw they saw light slowly start to come into the brown interior. The top of the crate began to creak as the heavy lid was being lifted. Ash held his breath.

"Do you think they left?" A deep calm voice asked.

"Better not have." Another voice replied, this one higher and louder. "Those damn kids better come out soon or else that man is going to kill us all."

"What if he kills them?" The deep voice asked.

"Better them than us!"

Ash remained silent throughout all of the discussion, as did everyone else inside the crate. The lid was still slightly open as one of the speakers had not released his grip. Ash now got a hint of how he sounded like earlier. _Hadn't he said something similar just a few minutes before?_ he asked himself. He was unsettled.

'In any case," the deep voice continued, seemingly unaffected by the others response, "I don't think they are here. Perhaps we missed them in one of the rooms before."

"Impossible." The other replied. "How could we?"

"You tell me. Tell you what. I will stay here and see what I can find while you repeat your search. If they come in here, they won't go far."

There was a silence and Ash could only hope that the idea was accepted by the other. Ash knew that he couldn't take all of these people on at once. That would be suicide. But one? As soon as the man opened the crate, Pikachu could jump up use Thunderbolt and stun the person outside. It wasn't the greatest plan, but it was something. He just hoped that he wasn't discovered right here, right now.

Suddenly, the lid dropped with a bang and Ash and the others inside could barely stifle their surprised gasps. "Fine." The other said. "I leave this with you."

"You won't regret it." The calm one said with small laugh.

There was noise and shuffling outside. Ash heard many people leave before the door finally shut. During the time of exit, Ash hand signaled to Pikachu and signed for him to be ready. The mouse nodded and quietly got in position. The other two seemed to understand what Ash was thinking, but they didn't see much to an alternative. The air was quiet again, or so it seemed. Several minutes passed, before the most unexpected thing happened.

"You all really are terrible at hiding." A voice said.

 **I hate to leave you on such a cliffhanger but hey, what can you do? Well, that chapter was hard to write but well worth it. If you want action, you may need to wait a little longer but don't worry, it will happen and it will be awesome. Just on a side note, I will take any opinions/suggestions for Pokemon for Looker. Since he doesn't have any on his own, I will allow both myself, and you readers, to get creative. What would Looker have, besides a Croagunk, which I don't really want him to have really? The requirements are that it has to be in Generation 4, preferably from Sinnoh, and can't be a legendary. I'll take any suggestions, but if your idea isn't picked, GG.** **Finally, PM me if you want and review review review.**


	10. Chapter 10 Planning Action

**I'm back. Wanted to get this chapter up sooner so that there was less of a cliff hanger, but time isn't fair. I really want to get to the action for you guys more than myself.**

 **Shaymin: Is someone gonna die?**

 **Me: Shaymin, what did I tell you about this?**

 **Shaymin: That I can't ask questions that will reveal the plot.**

 **Me: Exactly. Anyway, this chapter won't be as dramatic as I may like, but I feel that I have to close some things up. With that said, lets roll.**

Chapter 10: Planning Action

Storage Train (Fifteen minutes till zero.)

Looker was surprised at how quickly the three kids sprung into action. Even when he tried to reassure the defensive Pikachu that he meant no harm, the electric mouse had other ideas. Eventually the humans appeared as well from the brown crate. The first one was a boy with spiked black hair; he seemed to be the Pikachu's trainer. Behind him was a young girl and a second older male. In total there were three humans, a Pikachu, a Piplup, and the targeted legendary himself, Shaymin. Looker knew he better start talking fast or else the teenagers might get the wrong idea. He didn't blame them either. If he hadn't so quickly talked to Evan, they might have been discovered sooner and the situation could have quickly escalated out of control.

"I imagine that you all want to know who I am." Looker began.

"Actually, I'm more concerned as to what is going on." The younger boy replied.

Looker nodded and didn't delay. "As you can imagine, the little interruption this so called Zero made has caused quite a stir. People panicked and they started searching for you all, specifically that." He finished his statement with a quick glance at the Gratitude Pokemon.

"Don't they understand? Don't they realize that we mean no harm?"

"That seems to be irrelevant." Looker replied. "They are scared. They fear for their lives and they will do anything to preserve them. Whether it be tear apart the train to find a Pokemon or start seeking out all of you. But before I begin, who exactly are all of you? If you don't want to reveal your names I can understand that, but if you do I might be able to help."

The three were silent for a while before the boy spoke again. No words had to be exchanged. They simply looked each other in the eye and confirm the request by nodding. When the boy did speak he was clear and concise. The three were named Ash, Dawn, and Brock respectively. Before Looker got any more information, the three asked what his name was. Looker contemplated for some time before he realized that now was the time to reveal himself. He straightened himself before he began.

"My real name is Kenneth Farseen, but I am unofficially an international police agent named Looker. I have recently been investigating Team Galactic and searching for any sort of link between them and recent criminal activity. I was on my way to Jubilife to do some investigating before this man, Zero, turned this normally peaceful ride into a hostage crisis."

"Can you help us?" Dawn asked.

"I can try. But I need all of you to follow my lead. We also need a plan." With this, he listened as the three teens began to tell him their respective plans. Of all the ideas, he found the first most cowardly, the second the easiest, the third the most dangerous, and the fourth the most efficient.

"Look, regardless of what decision we make, we need a fallback plan in case something happens," Looker began.

"Okay, good idea, but if Zero suspects anything he just makes a command and we're dead." Ash replied.

"How do you catch the kid who breaks the rules?" Looker grinned. The others shrugged and waited for the answer. "You break the rules."

* * *

Passenger Cabins (7 Minutes till zero.)

Inside the cramped compartments of the passenger cabin, there was a painfully gripping silence. The terrified civilians turned to each other and stared at the digital clock on the screen. A few would glance at the metal beings that were growing more and more restless. The fear was growing. Time would run out.

This silent rumor spread through the crowd like poison. Some gritted their teeth, some cried, others turned to the sky and shut their eyes. If it would be death it would be quick.

That was when the door opened. From it came a man in a a brown coat with a Pokemon. The creature struggled in its grip and shut its eyes. People stared in stunned silence as the man stepped forward.

"Is that it?" Evan hissed with both relief and anger.

"Yes, this is Shaymin. It tried to escape and I caught it. Hopefully, this crisis will end." Looker replied. He then turned to the Magnamite army and began to speak again, this time louder. "Zero, I have Shaymin! Respond at once!"

It didn't take long for the creatures outside to respond. Two Magnamite broke through the glass and approached the man. They maintained a steady distance as the T.V. came on again. Zero appeared on the screen and his grin widened madly.

"Well well well, congratulations on finding him. Just as time was starting to run out too. Good timing." He grinned with mad glee. "Now, if you would offer me the Pokemon please."

Looker didn't seem fazed and simply dropped the Pokemon onto the floor of the train. "He's all yours. Now, what happens to us?"

The man on the screen laughed evilly, everyone inside the train got tense, including Looker. After a few tense seconds he smiled again. "You see, my audience, you witnessed a little too much. I'd hate it if you decided to report me and my activities to the media. Too much of a risk. But, I do say this. It was a pleasure to work with all of you."

"What? You said we had a deal!" Evan exclaimed with panicked eyes.

"Oh, we had a deal. I promised to leave you in peace. I never said anything about leaving you alive." He laughed manically and gave a command. "All units, prepare to fire!" With that, the T.V. went static and the communication ended.

The suspenseful tension inside the train began to erupt into panic. All but Looker began to cry out in fear and shock. Were they really going to die? Magnazone made a command and all the Magnamite and Magnaton began to charge Magnet Rise. If unleashed, the train would be lifted off the tracks and thrown to the side. Looker knew such an attack couldn't happen. He had to do something. He watched as the two Magnamite from before moved in to snatch Shaymin before the train was destroyed.

Looker snapped his fingers.

Shaymin leapt forward. The two Magnamite didn't react in time and in their frenzied reaction they smashed into each other and collapsed onto the floor unconscious. Looker then retrieved a Poke Ball from his belt, before he looked at the passengers. He then grabbed a second Poke ball. He enlarged both objects and threw them to the ground. Two creatures appeared from where the balls struck.

The first creature was a cat-like creature with a black mane and a piercing face. Its eyes shined with even more brightness than the star shaped tip of its tail. With keen eyesight and powerful hearing, it was a perfect companion to a police agent. It was strong, fast, and capable of being independent.

The second creature was bipedal, had a green and white body, and wore what resembled a dress. The creature was stunningly beautiful and it had a soft slender body. Its eyes were both frightening and captivating; they shined like red rubies. However, looks could be deceptive. Instead of being harmless, the Pokemon was powerful and a valuable ally for a detective, a skilled psychic.

They were Luxray and Gardevoir and they were Looker's personal sidekicks.

"Zero, when you said that we had to bring you Shaymin, you never said Shaymin had to agree with the idea. Luxray, start leading the passengers to safety. Gardevoir, use Focus Blast on the Magnamite surrounding the train." He said. The psychic type threw an orange sphere at a nearby Magnaton outside. The passengers, even though confused, seemed to follow orders well; they followed the Luxray which lead them farther up the train. Looker took the chance to snatch Shaymin and started to head back to the three trainers. An explosion knocked him off his feet and he fell forwards. Shaymin flew out of his grip and crashed near a fallen basket. Looker turned to see Magnazone trying to hit him with Mirror shot. The steel type would have succeeded has Gardevoir not intervened and fired a Focus blast towards it. The Magnazone rolled sideways and dodged the potentially fatal attack.

Looker saw something glow and he looked to the spot where Shaymin was. There was a massive light that was filling the room. Pokemon, inside and out, were captivated by the strange light and stared in silence. When it died down, the sight was spectacular.

A new Pokemon appeared. Shaymin seemed to have vanished, and a dog-like creature on four legs stood in its place. It had two pointed ears on its head, which resembled a form of wings. The scarlet colored petal near its head resembled a scarf and the body looked lean and muscular. The most striking features were the eyes. They glowed like emeralds and shined spectacularly in the sun. Instead of looking timid and retreated, they were filled with excitement and energy. The creature gave a mild smile to Looker before staring at the Magnazone and its companions. The gentle expression became a taunting grin.

Magnazone fired at the creature, who to its shock flew out of the way and levitated in the air. A green sphere was formed in its mouth and fired through the glass. The steel type was hit by the attack and the air burst with radiant light particles. Looker stared in amazement as it dawned on him.

This was Shaymin.

The grass type dashed outside and faced its attackers. "Come and get some!" It flew over the roof of the train and the army followed, thunderbolts and mirror shots flashing behind him as Looker stared in awed silence. Distracted, he barely heard the three trainers come up behind him. When Looker did notice, he realized that the entire room was vacant. He wrote a mental note to praise Luxray for being able to evacuate the passengers so well. He then turned to Ash and the others.

"Did you know Shaymin could fly?" he asked.

Ash's eyes widened in shock and he shook his head. "Thats news to me."

"Well, he can. He's also leading the Magnamite away from the passengers, or at least he's trying to. He won't be able to keep them distracted indefinitely. We need to help."

"Sure." Ash replied. Before he could take action, however, Looker intervened. He blocked him with his hand and forced him back, to Ash's surprise.

"Not you! I need a strong trainer to be with the passengers." Looker explained.

"But-"

"They have to be protected, Ash, or else the Magnamite will be able to pick them off. Can I trust you?"

Ash was silent as he saw the mans logic. He was able to suck up his pride and admit that this man was right. The most important thing was keeping the passengers safe, not battling Pokemon. "Okay, I'll stay with the passengers."

"I will too." Dawn chimed in.

"Good," Looker nodded. "Looks like I'm with you." Looker faced Brock who didn't seem at all fazed by current events, which isn't saying much because his eyes rarely showed much expression. Brock was stone hard and after years of traveling, few things honestly surprised him anymore. Brock watched as Looker had Gardevoir use Focus Blast to blast away an already damaged door. Looker was surprisingly agile and he managed to reach the roof with little difficulty.

"You need a lift?" Looker asked Brock.

Almost in answer Brock smirked before running forward. He grabbed the side of the busted door and turned around to face the other trainers. He smiled again and grabbed the roof of the train. In a stunning move, Brock flipped himself backwards while gripping the roof of the train. He eventually released and flipped onto the top.

"I was once the Pewter City gym leader. I got this!" He grinned. Looker, despite himself, was thoroughly impressed and together they ran forward to assist a certain legendary.

 **Finally, I got this uploaded. I really just wanted this chapter up already. Fight begins now so now I mean it. Action begins here. Hope to get back into this. We will see.**


	11. Chapter 11 Saving a Train

**Okay, needless to say, I am adding a new chapter. I think its gonna be longer cause it should be. Hope the action is good. Ready? Okay? Here we go. Also sorry for the delay.**

Chapter 11: Saving a Train

Wind rushed past Lookers face as the police agent advanced on the moving train. So far every attempt to lift the train was being thwarted by Shaymin. The grass type rolled in loops and corkscrews through the skies and kept their attention away from the periled transport. Looker was hoping that the legendary would provide enough time to launch a counter attack. He knew that if he didn't, it was likely that the Magnamite would catch onto what was going on and alter their tactics. With Brock behind him, Looker rushed to attack.

"Gardevoir, we need assistance." Looker said, releasing the psychic type from a Poke Ball.

"Croagunk, you too." Brock said shortly after.

Gardevoir appeared with a small purple Pokemon that was roughly as tall as Brock's knee. Without further waste, the psychic type used Shadow Ball while the poison type fired poison stings which only seemed to annoy the Magnamites.

"Hey, I could use some help over here!" A voice called out.

Shaymin flew in front of the humans with many steel types furiously chasing it, all the while mirror shots and thundershocks trailing behind.

"Gardevoir Psychic!" Looker responded. With this command the magnamites temporarily rammed into themselves and lost direction. Before a response could be formed, they were violently thrown to the side. In their place stood Magnazone, unleashing Thunderbolt.

The psychic type fell onto her knees instantly and struggled under the attack. Croagunk leap at the steel type and attempted to use Brick Break on it. The poison type was quickly dealt with. Ignoring Gardevoir, Magnazone redirected the thunderbolt onto the poison type. Since metal naturally conducted electricity, it didn't take long for the attack to take effect on the poison type that clung onto the magnet Pokemon. Croagunk cried out in pain, unable to escape the electric attack that coarser through its body. Its cry was the only thing its trainer heard before it was thrown backwards by the bolts of energy and off the roof of the train.

"No, Croagunk." Brock screamed out in desperation.

"Look out!" Looker interrupted before the former gym leader could take action. A mirror shot was fired at them from Magnazones body. The attack would have collided and knocked the trainers off the train as well had it not been for Gardevoir's light screen. The trainers backed behind the shield that held off their attacker, but they realized that they had no way of advancing forward and confronting the steel type. At this rate, they would be swiftly defeated.

For Shaymin, it was a different story.

With the Magnazone preoccupied with the humans and the Magnamite only starting to return to the train, the grass type had an opening. Opening its mouth, the natural energy around him composed itself into a green sphere. The orb glowed as bright as the strongest lightbulb if not more, and was hurled towards Zero's loyal stooge. While not all that effective in terms of typing, Magnazone clearly felt the force that was associated with the attack. If it was made out of flesh its skull would have been split open. However, since it was made out of metal, the only sign of damage was a scarred blast mark that was visible only a few inches away from its antenna. Looker and Brock were thoroughly impressed when the steel type lost control and crashed to the roof before sliding off the transport altogether.

Before being able to even breath a sigh of relief, a swarm of Magnaton surrounded them and began to fire fresh new attacks. One thought coursed through everyones mind, which Shaymin promptly stated.

"They're back!"

* * *

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded as Magnamite rushed to attack the two trainers. It didn't take long for the passengers to understand that Ash and Dawn were there to help, not hurt. Piplup and Pikachu were making a good combination; Thunderbolts supercharged Whirlpools and Volt Tackles provided cover for Bubblebeams. They could not be separated; their coordination was too balanced and controlled. However, the battle was far from easy.

It didn't take long for the Magnamite and Magnaton to take back the element of surprise. When Ash and Dawn had managed to reach the passengers, they immediately found a lone Luxray battling two Magnaton at once with several Magnamites pelting it with thundershocks. With Ash and Dawn, however, the steel types were once more under assault. Normal trainers would have been intimidated by the sheer numbers of the steel-electric types, however Ash and Dawn were far from ordinary trainers.

"Piplup don't let up! Bubblebeam!" Dawn called out as her starter Pokemon attacked the hordes of enemies. Piplup and Dawn had been allies from the start. Wherever Piplup battled, Dawn was sure to be around; wherever Dawn trained, her starter was never far behind. Most water types would be at a severe disadvantage facing so many adversaries that had type superiority. The concept of a Piplup single handedly defeating an army of Magnamite was almost unheard of. Still, Piplup was a powerful Pokemon, despite its charming and cute appearance. It was well trained and a tough foe to intimidate.

Dawn was grateful to be his trainer.

As a brilliant, beautiful, flurry of bubbles crashed into the many attackers Dawn realized two things. The first being that if the passengers were to remain unscathed, she had to draw them away. The second being that Ash was being cut off. If they were divided, they could be conquered. If conquered, they were all doomed.

"Piplup, Whirlpool towards Pikachu." She redirected.

The passengers saw what seemed to be a rising fountain. Only the water didn't return to the earth due to gravity as most fountains did. Instead, if formed what appeared to be a mini cyclone that twisted in the air and expanded. The small penguin below it used its wings and directed the attack to the Magnamites. The steel types were sucked into it as houses were swept into a tornado. The vortex then crashed right and ripped a portion of the side clean off. Before Dawn could even realize what she did, Luxray took advantage of the distraction and began to use discharge, sending any Magnamite that tried to re-enter crashing backwards into the trees and gravel outside.

Free of attackers, Ash must have been thinking exactly what Dawn was. With hurried movements and commands, he attempted to have the passengers remain calm as he and Dawn prepared to move forward and advance to the front of the locomotive. Some protested but Luxray was able to provide protection. Its black mane and strong body also gave a psychological sense of certainty, just as a pack respects the power of a alpha male or female. As the two trainers began to move towards the front car, they were both relieved and unnerved when they noticed an increase in the number of steel-electric types that followed them.

"We have to stop the train!" He declared with conviction.

"How are we gonna do that?"

"We'll have to figure out when we get there!"

"That sounds exactly like you."

With such a hard yet simple goal ahead of them, Ash, Dawn, and their respective starters advanced forward.

* * *

Outside, the situation could only be getting worse. Gardevoir's reflect-light screen combination defense was the only thing keeping Looker, Brock, and Shaymin from being overwhelmed by the many enemies. The Magnet Pokemon closed in around them, hitting the beautifully lit shield barrier from all directions. Each time an impatient enemy rammed its body against the clear walls, Gardevoir had to work to keep her legs from buckling under the intensity.

"How long do we have?" Brock asked.

"At most, five minutes." Looker replied with a serious tone that begged for better circumstances. "At worst, a few more seconds."

"Ah, we have to do something!" Shaymin roared in frustration.

Expecting the Magnaton to be unleashing more thunderbolts, the trainers inside were startled to see them halt their attacks and form together. Each magnet linked to an opposing current, only it was happening on a mass scale. It was as if the electric types were forming one great entity of magnets. If this were the case, nobody doubted that they would be able to punch through Gardevoir's defense as if it were made of paper. Very bright and very flashy perhaps, but nonetheless, a thin sheet of paper.

Soon, electricity was being redirected to a large orb of bright light that glowed and expanded in the center of the giant mass. The only options presented was withdrawing the shield, their only sense of protection, or simply accepting the inevitable.

Nobody would have suspected anything less. That is why is was shocking to the trainers to see a Pokemon spring in front of the shield to the trainers defense. The creature was bipedal, had a purple body with many red sacks that hung from the slimy skin, and looked strangely familiar to the gym leader. By the time Brock realized what, or to be more direct _who_ it was, the Pokemon had already fired a Mud Bomb at the mass of Magnaton.

What followed afterwards was an example of quality over quantity. The great heap of earth that became airborne swallowed the orb of electricity in the air and crashed into the center of the Magnaton before exploding. Not only was Mud Bomb effective against electricity, however, but it also was super effective against steel; the Magnaton had no chance. The link was severed and fragments of the chain were falling off the sides in disorganized fashion. Seeing that the attack had been crippled, Gardevoir lowered the shield and fell to its knees as the individuals inside ran, or in Shaymin's case flew, to the Pokemon that saved them.

"Croagunk?" Brock asked with hesitation.

"Toxicroak!" The Pokemon beamed with a big grin on its face.

"I can't believe how close that was." Looker admitted as he nodded to the poison type. Once again, they thought that their troubles had been adverted. It didn't take long for them to be proven horribly wrong.

"Guys, they are raising the train!" Shaymin screamed.

Brock and Looker looked below to see several Magnamite surrounding the bottom of the train, sparks shooting from their bodies towards the lowest frames. With a great lurch, the humans and grounded Pokemon felt the train lose contact with the tracks. As they struggled to stay on, they managed to see a returned Magnazone behind them, unleashing high torrents of electricity downwards. Magnet Rise was in place; the train was going to be lifted and then thrown down to the earth. The passengers were in major trouble.

* * *

Dawn and Ash also felt the train rise. They had just reached the forward cabin when they felt the ground move upwards. Dawn grabbed Ash's hand to avoid falling, who grabbed onto a handrail to keep himself upright. The Pokemon below them didn't have as much mass, so they didn't feel much in contrast to the larger humans.

"This is bad!" Dawn pointed out with rising panic.

"Any ideas?" Ash asked with dread.

"Oh, this is not good!" Dawn replied with equal anxiety. The train was getting higher and higher.

Ash contemplated how he had reached this moment. He had been in so many of these equally perilous situations, yet he had never gotten used to it. He didn't ask for adventures, they found him, and the thought of doing nothing at all would have been warmly welcomed. Unfortunately, fate had dictated that he was destined for a life of chaos. A life of adventure.

He knew what he had to do. He wasn't entirely confident, and as he opened his backpack he felt a wave of nervousness. He opened a small black case. Inside were two gloves that were blue and black on the outside with circular markings in the center. Sir Aarons gloves. His gloves.

"Dawn, I'm gonna try to use aura to break through Magnet Rise. It may not stop us from falling but it could slow us down."

"Okay, you can do this." Dawn added with a nod. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Yeah, give me strength, Dawn." Ash replied as he began to raise his hands. He could feel the aura as it began to envelop him as water encased someone underwater.

Dawn hugged Ash's body. The boy smiled as he felt the warmth emanating from her. "I love you, Ash, and I believe in you."

He shut his eyes. Whenever he heard those words it uplifted him; his spirt soared and he felt so alive. He may have done great things, but he knew that without his friends and family to support him, he would never have made it as far as he did.

"Thank you, Dawn. I needed that." He whispered, feeling confident and strong, the feeling of ensured victory. Today was not the day he would die. "The aura is with me!"

As he screamed those words into the air, he knew his hands were glowing blue. He clenched them, imagining that he was grabbing onto the train with giant hands. He felt a strain of resistance and his body shuddered. Sweat began to drip down his skin as he fought to gain control. The Magnet Rise was trying to raise the train higher, and he was not as strong as they were.

 _The aura is with me. The aura is with me. I am the Chosen One, and you will obey!_

He continued to say those words in his mind, both to reassure himself, and to proceed in gaining control. Slowly, he felt the train start to descend. Still, he was losing vital strength and the act of both lowering the train slowly as well as was energy draining. The Magnemite wanted to bring the train higher, and Dawn's support may have been the only thing that kept him from collapsing. He couldn't lose.

* * *

Outside, the trainers had a feeling that things were going to get worse. Even then, things already were worse in their eyes, so it was hard to see the situation getting any more out of hand.

"What now?" Shaymin asked, firing an Energy Ball at a single Magnaton out of the hundreds of steel types.

"If we defeat them we fall, and if we do nothing, we fall." Looker noted with dismay.

"Well, we're screwed." Shaymin stated rather uncaringly. "So much for this plan."

"Will you stop it, we may be able to-"

The train suddenly lurched downwards. Looker and Brock nearly fell off their feet, their reflexes the only thing that saved them from falling off the side. A sickening feeling came to their minds. Was it too late? Was all lost?

However, the train wasn't immediately falling. If anything, it was lurching up and down, as if it couldn't decide whether to fall or fly.

"What's going on?" Looker asked with alarm.

"I don't know." Brock replied. "But the train is starting to fall. We need to break control of the Magnet Rise."

Looker began to think. Gardevoir could potentially use her abilities to levitate the train, but doing so would require incapacitating the Magnemite army. If only they could find some way to distract them. Or at the least, knock them out.

Then an idea sprung. He whistled, loud and long.

Before he knew it, Luxray sprung up from the train, a large hole tearing through roof in front of him.

"Shaymin, I need you to fire Energy Balls at as many Magnaton as possible. Luxury will unleash Discharge to knock out the remaining Magnamite."

"But we'll fall!" The grass type exclaimed.

"Exactly." He replied.

"Are you sure about this?" Brock asked, catching on to the plan.

"It's our best shot." Looker began.

The train was no longer above the rails, and it was starting to turn at an angle midair. They were running out of time. It was now or never. With a tense inhaling of breath, Looker gave the call.

"Luxray, Discharge! Shaymin, Energy Ball now!" He screamed. Before the Magnamite could react in time, the attack began. A flurry of bolts shot into the sky, enveloping the steel types that were too slow to react. Looker looked above him to see Shaymin firing shot after shot towards the larger Magnaton. Slowly but steadily, the Magnamite were being wiped out in this sudden strike. Finally, without warning, the train was released from Magnet Rise. It fell with increasing velocity and Looker lost his footing as did Brock. They thought they would fly off then, but strong powerful arms kept them in place. Toxicroak had held it's ground, and the humans were saved.

"Gardevoir, Psychic on the train. Halt it's crash!" Looker cried out desperately. His loyal Pokemon touched the roof and gave out it's signature cry. The train was enveloped in a purple glow as it crashed onto the ground below. In a great leap, Toxicroak jumped from the roof as the locomotive touched down, the two humans lodged in it's firm grip. As they touched the grass below, they saw a flash of purple mass as the Toxicroak lunged for the back of the train, leaving them to watch with anticipation. It's web like hands grabbing the tail of the locomotive as it's feet dug into the ground. The train was flying forward as it approached a cliff. If it fell, the train was doomed.

Dust was kicked into the air violently as Gardevoir continued to use psychic while Toxicroak used it's strength to psychically pull the train in place. Shaymin flew from the train as debris and foliage was forced into the air in all directions. Unbeknownst to them, a certain trainer was also using all his power to keep the train from crashing. Together, they all worked for one goal. Save the train. Save the passengers.

Just as it looked that the train would collapse to the ravine below, it groaned to a halt. The dust slowly cleared and sight was astounding. The nose of the train was literally on the edge, and the surrounding ground was rooted up from the forceful landing. But the train had survived, and with any luck, the passengers would be okay.

They had done it. They defeated the Magnamite and stopped Zero's attack. Victory was theirs.

 **There you have it. The train arch is nearly over. Took forever to find the time to do this. I'm really thankful or all you're support. College life is not easy. Thanks again and hope to upload more soon.**


	12. Chapter 12 A Coming Storm

**Okay, so I'm back. So glad that this arc is coming to an end. I really want to move on, and I look forward to advancing onto some new chapters.**

 **Sorry it's been a while, but I can say that I have some prewritten chapters so chapters "SHOULD" be coming along. Not "WILL" "SHOULD."Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for the support and reviews. Let it commence.**

Chapter 12: A Coming Storm

Ash was gasping for breath, coughing away the smoke and dust that was floating in the train cabin. He couldn't see, and his eyes only saw a flurry of lights. He squinted as his vision slowly returned. A room. No, a cabin. A train cabin. He was in the train, a very damaged and very beat up train. The glass viewports were shattered and the walls were covered with dents and cracks. He felt a sudden tingling sensation. It hurt. Glass shards were on the ground. Slowly, he lifted his body upwards and away from the floor. He tried to stay calm as he saw small slashes on his scarred fingers and palms. Even in his disoriented state, he felt each shard as he pulled the glass fragments from his skin and flicked them to the ground. The train was on the ground, this thought came to mind. The train was no longer airborne. What happened?

He looked to his left to see Dawn starting to wake. He didn't want her to be hurt, his stomach felt sick at the mere thought. He crouched on his legs, thankful that the glass didn't pierce through his shoes, or any of his clothes for that matter. He checked for injuries where he could. He had a bruise on his left arm, and he felt more exhausted than someone who just a marathon, but otherwise he seemed unharmed. His neck hurt a bit though and he felt a little stiff. His bones didn't seem broken, to his relief. How, he wouldn't know.

 _Wait a minute, I was using aura,_ he realized. _Yeah. Aura. The train was crashing._

Images flashed back.

 _"Come on, Ash, you're almost there." Dawn shouted over a terrible screeching noise. Glass had shattered in all directions and they shut their eyes to avoid the shrapnel. The train had crashed down. Somehow, the train had freed itself from the Magnet Rise._

 _"I can't hold it much longer." He said in protest._

 _"ASH LOOK AHEAD!"  
_

 _He remembered a cliff. The train had been sliding towards it. Sudden adrenaline came to his body as he became very fearful very fast. He needed to do something, now!_

 _He screamed. "THE AURA IS WITH ME!" Blue light was expelled from his body. Stop! Stop! Stop! The screeching got worse and louder. Stay focused. Stay focused! He knew that the aura was controlling, but he felt the urge to give to nobody. He would be the aura's master, and he felt power rush through his body as if he was being zapped with thunder. It almost hurt, even when he knew that the aura was yielding to him and giving him the power he needed to do what was necessary The power to fight the train in it's wild crash. Ash could barely contain the aura within him. The screeching intensified. He thought of his friends. He wished he could have said goodbye to them all, or at least even Dawn, but he couldn't react in time. There was a sudden stop and jolt. He remembered flying forwards, thinking about his first day as a Pokemon trainer, and then, nothing._

He shook himself from his memories. A noise had made him snap back into the present. Dawn was groaning as she herself started to regain consciousness. He rushed to intervene.

"Easy, Dawn." He said with concern. "Everything's all right."

She moved to rub her eyes but Ash caught the hand. Last thing he needed was scratching her eyes due to glass shards on her skin. Holding her again was exhilarating. He felt a surge of energy fill his empty and drained body. As if his very life-force was rejuvenated. He kissed her hand, softly drawing in the warmth it provided, like a river filling a dry stream.

"Is it over?" she asked almost drearily.

"Yeah." Ash answered simply. "We did it after all."

She stood on almost wobbly legs and pulled her arms around Ash to support himself. They smiled as the dust settled around them. There was triumph for what felt like the first time in weeks. The fire had passed them over.

"You know, you still manage to bring some joy to these eyes. I thought I'd seen everything, legendaries battling for control of the world, my own Pokemon dying before my eyes, my friends leaving to go on new journeys, yet somehow I find myself surprised."

"And why is that?" she said with a teasing grin, her strength being followed by her charming wit.

"You still look beautiful." Ash grinned.

"I'm thankful, Ash Ketchum." Dawn replied as their faces connected. They kissed, lips locking around each other, soft hairs brushing against delicate skin, and comforting arms embracing one another. They wanted the moment to continue. No worries. No discontent. No surprises. No battles.

No Pikachu!

Ash broke off from the kiss, turning his head in multiple directions. He called his name. No response. Fear fell back onto his shoulders, full force. His heart was hammering as he crawled his way out of the window, barely registering Dawn's calling voice behind him. However, what he did registered sounded less like "Ash" and more like "Piplup."

The sudden outcry of "Pika, Pikachu," was the only thing that managed to pull him out of his senses. This didn't calm him enough, since he had no idea where the sound came from, but at least it assured him that Pikachu was still alive.

"Hey, Pikachu? Where are you?" Ash called.

"Piplup?" Dawn followed. "Piplup?"

A high pitched cry from a mouse coming from the train caught their attention. They followed the noise and proceeded towards the cliff. Ash got a bad feeling as they approached, which was both refuted and supported by what he saw. A penguin swinging off the tail of a mouse who was clutching to safety bar of the front locomotive.

"Uh, Piplup, maybe you shouldn't be swinging on Pikachu." Dawn said cautiously.

"Hold on, guys." Ash said. "I'm coming." Ash carefully ducked his body under the flipped locomotive towards the dangling Pokemon. He made sure not slip on the metal beam so that he would reach the Pokemon safely. Such a situation was almost normal, and he was unnaturally at ease. Years of dealing with villains and adversaries had done that to him.

"Ash, wouldn't it be better to use Staravia?" Dawn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"But don't you want your daring hero to be impressive?" Ash teased back, walking forward on the small chrome beam.

"I just don't...I don't want anyone else getting hurt today." she said somewhat sadly. Ash lowered his head in acknowledgment. So much had happened in one day, some good, but not all. He released Staravia and had his bird Pokemon carry Piplup to safety. He outstretched his hand and Pikachu, now free to climb up the train, crawled up his arm. Pikachu gave a cheerful cry of relief and Ash couldn't help but smile back. He traversed back to the cliff, not wanting to remind himself of the dangers he and his friends faced.

"Do you think it might be over?" Dawn asked at last as Piplup and Pikachu played just a few meters away, far from the cliff.

Ash wanted to say that it was, that there wouldn't be anymore problems from here. Once, he might have been naive enough to believe such a statement. However, he couldn't say such a thing without lying to himself. He was about to say, "I don't know, Dawn," but he stopped himself. He didn't want to sound so uncertain, especially when he knew that it was very likely that danger continued to await him.

"Whatever happens," he said with a frown, "We'll be together. We're in this together. You, me, Pikachu, Brock, and..."

Where's Shaymin?

He voiced this question to Dawn and she pointed to the back of the train. She also seemed to accept the answer he gave earlier. She squeezed his hand for reassurance, which was quickly squeezed back. Then Ash proceeded to walk towards the back of the train. What he saw was both expected and shocking.

The train could hardly be called that anyone. It resembled a wrecked plane that had been destroyed by a storm's violent winds, or a house that had been blazed by a terrible fire. The walls were crumbled and reshaped into bent plates of steel, the windows were shattered into irregular fragments. Signs of battle were still visible, and the hole in the roof was now the primary door to the interior. However, all of this was unable to capture Ash's interest. All around, people were being escorted into ambulances, some had casts on their limbs. Many were babbling senselessly to a health official while some were just staring into the ground solemnly. Ash feared the worst. He half expected someone to say something to him, yell even. Instead, he just got cold stares from some and depressed gazes from others. This stung greater than any insult could have. He almost felt ashamed.

"Hey, Ash." said a voice at last. Brock's voice. Ash spun around and faced both him and Looker. They both looked rather uninjured.

"Guys," Ash asked nervously, not willing to waste time, "How bad is it?"

Looker cleared his throat. "Nobody was killed today." This made Ash feel instantly better and he felt a huge weight leave his shoulders. He didn't know if he could forgive himself if something happened to these people. "However, some have broken bones, one has a concussion, and a fair amount of people were knocked unconscious."

"Well, I know how that feels." Ash said back. "Me and Dawn are okay," he quickly added so as not to cause unnecessary worry. He'd seen too much of that for one day.

"People are being evacuated to hospitals. You helped save these people, Ash." Looker said with a grin.

"But, but-"

"He's right Ash. We saved all these people. It could have been a lot worse." Brock added. "We might not even be here if it we failed."

Ash knew he was right. He looked back at the passengers and felt a wave of uncertainty return again, yet when he looked back at Looker he saw confidence and faith in those eyes. "I wish they would see it that way."

"Fear is a powerful force. It can make you brave or it can make you the opposite. One day, they will realize how indebted they are to you. I feel the same way as you sometimes, but you know how I move past it." Ash shook his head and waited. "True strength is gained by facing hardship."

Those words had so much power that it was nearly overwhelming. Looker seemed so wise at this moment. Ash almost wished he was his mentor, he certainly could have used one.

"I'm going to continue to talk to the authorities about Zero. A manhunt is soon to begin if we put everything in order. He'll be brought to justice."

Ash nodded. Perhaps Zero would no longer be a threat after all. It would have been a relief to think this. Maybe it really was over.

He knew it wasn't. He almost chided himself for even attempting to give in to such an idea. As an old saying went, the battle may have been over, but the war was still being waged. Zero was still at large. Perhaps put under pressure, but still very much a danger. He saw no reason to voice this, as he was pretty sure they were thinking similar thoughts. Instead, he asked a new question.

"Hey, have you seen Shaymin?" Ash asked. He felt some guilt for how he acted earlier and worried if he too was feeling regret for what happened. He needed to do what his friends had done for him. He needed to ease the guilt. Ease the pain of regret with the promise of hope.

"He flew off towards the trees." Brock said, pointing to a hill with a single tree overseeing a river. "I thought maybe you should talk to him."

"Okay," Ash said, "You sure you guys will be okay?"

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Brock said.

Ash nodded before leaving the train and the wreckage that surrounded it. He hoped that Shaymin would be in a mood to talk. Then again, after all that has happened, perhaps it would be best to give the Pokemon some space. The thought almost had him pause in his search before he considered that even a legendary Pokemon might need company. With what might be a coming storm up ahead, it was important to be ready. Words of comfort might be needed now more than ever. He secretly hoped he was wrong.

* * *

The forest hillside was emanating with peace; peace that was so conflicting with what had happened; so conflicting from the turmoil inside. Such words came to mind as Shaymin rested on a lonely tree branch that jutted out from the truck of a single elder tree, a branch that found itself leaning towards the sky; away from the ground that sought to pull it to ruin. He should have been happy, and part of him felt inclined to be such. Instead, he felt as if he was on the edge of falling like a broken branch. His spirit felt as if it would crash to the ground so suddenly and that he would be too slow to stop himself.

This thought conflicted him however. He won, didn't he? They won. They stopped stopped the train...They foiled Zero's plot and defeated the Magnemite. They rescued passengers from them.

They rescued them from Shaymin.

He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts from his mind. No, you can't blame yourself. A voice that couldn't be carried off by the winds of suppression growled and rose. The voice told him that he was lucky. Lucky that nothing happened. Unlike at the station. Those who were scorched by Giratina in the chaos he caused. The chaos that nearly caused Dawn's-

" _No!_ " Shaymin exclaimed internally. " _No, stop it_! _This isn't helping and you know it. You can't blame yourself."_ He forced these thoughts to fill his mind. The wind became a hurricane and the thoughts of worry were forced away. With it he forced away the desire. The desire for things to be put right. The desire for the past to change. The need to feel peaceful. The need to be free of consequence.

He resigned himself to thinking of nothing. Just staring into the distance. A distance that carried a small stream that followed trees that rustled leaves towards a larger river which rode through forests of greenery. He found himself put into a peaceful trance. Just as the sky gave him freedom, the ground promised security. Just as the winds carried his spirits, the Earth fueled his energy. He distantly heard the sounds of steps coming behind him, and he didn't bother to look back. He knew who it was.

"I had a feeling you'd hang out in a place like this." Ash spoke with a grin of satisfaction. "I guess you Grass types are all alike."

"Well when you live in trees and foliage your whole life, I guess you no longer notice."

"Well in that case I suppose I never imagine what life without Pokemon battles would be like." Ash teased. They shared a laugh together before Shaymin touched down next to the trainer. They were silent as they caught their breaths, trying to contemplate who would be the first to break the silence. Shaymin wondered if Ash enjoyed the feeling. He seemed to be one who lived a life of constant action. Shaymin by contrast, normally had a rather routine existence. To him peace and quiet sometimes was almost as expected as the rising of the sun. What was peace to Ash Ketchum? A moment of relief? A pause in excitement? A chance to catch one's breath just in time to need another?

The words of the human pulled him into focus. Simple words that carried clarity. "We did it Shaymin."

"I almost don't believe it." Shaymin replied. "It seemed so slow and yet so fast."

"Well, hopefully, we won't be seeing Zero again." Ash attempted. At this they both frowned at the idea. Pleasant in appearance but too good to be true. Shaymin did his best to ignore this feeling and simply took the statement for what it was. He was moving forward.

"Hey, sorry for snapping at you earlier." Ash spoke. "I was out of line."

"Hmnf, I'm pretty sure I can say the same thing." Shaymin managed. "But I forgive you, just in case."

"Likewise." Ash grinned.

"Do you think it's over?" Shaymin asked without pause. He couldn't help but ask. He needed to hear some confirmation from someone else if he was going to believe such an idea. He wanted to hear the words, everything is going to be alright. He needed to hear that.

Instead, Ash said. "I hope so."

Shaymin looked to the ground in resignation. _So much for wishful thinking,_ he thought.

"But I do know this." Ash said suddenly. "Whatever happens, we're all in the same boat. We're in this together."

This uplifted Shaymin higher than any promise could. He believed this without hesitation and it felt good. Ash smiled too and they watched each other for some time before Ash rose again. Shaymin was about to join him when a new thought came to mind. One that filled him with confusion and sadness. Ash paused and immediately his smile turned into a look of worry.

"We're not going are we." Shaymin said. "I guess I'm on my own."

"What?" Ash asked. "What do you-"

"The flower garden." Shaymin said. "I guess _we_ won't get there after all. I mean, the train is wrecked, I have no idea where we are, and you guys have helped me far too much already. I guess it's all up to me."

"Woah woah, wait a minute here!" Ash said defensively. "I've been in situations much more challenging than this. Getting you to one patch of flowers isn't battling an army of Deoxys, and you forgave me remember? We're not done until we're done."

"But Ash, we don't even know how to get there. I was navigating by memory when I first encountered you guys." Shaymin protested, flying to Ash's eye level. "From here getting there could take days, or even weeks. By then the other Shaymin will have probably left without me."

"Shaymin do you _want_ to travel the dark and spooky woods by yourself?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow. "You seem to want to. I mean forests tend to have giant birds, and those birds would love to eat some flying salad bar if they thought you tasted-"

"Okay, never mind, you can come."

They left the lonely tree and back towards the busy scene that they would rather leave than go back to. Shaymin's eyes stared ahead with grim determination. The quest wasn't lost yet. Ash still wanted to help him, and Shaymin wasn't going to try to convince him otherwise now. Instead, he decided to accept it and hope for the best. He would be the stream that merged into the river that entered the woods. He hoped he was ready for the threshold crossing. He could only wonder what would happen as far off, in the great distance, far from his vision or anyone else' for that matter, a certain river flashed purple with distortion for a few moments before the ripples faded into silence with the reflection of the passing of a dragon's tail.

 **There, done. Added a little AshxDawn for anyone who wanted it and some character building. Get ready to say goodbye to Looker. I hope he was okay to add for this story. Major stuff is on the horizon. Hope to see you soon, and remember, review and PM me whenever. Until then, sayonara.**


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